Yusō
by Zyrios
Summary: Two California teens wind up in the Muromachi Period by strange happenings, and to their surprise they find themselves wrapped up in the story of Princess Mononoke. Now faced with the challenge of finding a way back home, the boys are left with little other option but to follow Ashitaka and act out the tale in real life in the hopes of finding a solution to their problem.
1. Chapter 1

_This fic is based loosely on Legendary Adventurers, Futuristic Saviors by Stone-Man85, and A Legend of the Past, a Savior of the Future by N'jata. It is, in no way, meant as a criticism of either fic, though I do have my opinions about both respectively. This fic is simply my take on the premise of "modern kid goes to the past," and happens to be inspired by two fics I've read that try their hand at it themselves. If any similarities to either fic are present, it is unintentional._

 _Fun fact: "Yusō" is one of many ways to say "transport" in Japanese. Whether it's the correct way in this instance, well, I'm sure I'll find out sooner or later. I figured it was fitting, given the premise of the fic._

* * *

 **Chapter One - The Eranns**

* * *

"Dad's on a business trip in Japan for how long?" Noah asked, incredulous at the news. As was typical for him, he was somehow the last to hear, even if he wasn't trying to be.

"Only a couple of weeks. But that means we get the house to ourselves, and - bonus! - We'll probably get like a samurai sword or something as a souvenir, and then we can brag to all our classmates later!" Emma, one of Noah's three older sisters, wriggled about in excitement at the thought.

Noah laid on the couch, blinking silently.

"...What?" Emma asked.

"Pretty sure they don't sell samurai swords as tourist attractions," Noah replied.

"Hey, you don't know, they might," Emma rebutted.

"You just go ahead and keep thinking that," Noah said, unconvinced.

As Noah had just learned, the four siblings' father - Rick Eranns, a self-made entrepreneur - had been called to a business meeting with his partners in Japan. He was the only parent the kids had, as their mother, Alice Eranns, passed away from pancreatic cancer early into their lives, and Rick never sought to remarry. It wasn't that Noah was never told about the business trip to Japan, because Rick had said it ten times over the course of a month - it was that Noah had his headphones on every single time and never heard it. And as Emma had clarified, this also meant that the four of them now had the house to themselves, with Marina left in charge, given that she was the oldest.

Noah feared for the neighbors' sanity. They behaved themselves, to be sure... but they were prone to pranking each other. And without Rick to reign them in, it was bound to explode into madness.

Marina came downstairs with her laptop balanced on one hand, the other tapping at the mouse pad. She was looking intently at the screen over the top of her glasses, which had managed to slide down to the tip of her nose without her noticing.

"Got an email from dad. He says his flight's about to head out to... Narita International," she reported.

"Where's that in Japan?" Emma asked.

"Tokyo, probably," Noah replied.

"Not every airport in Japan goes to Tokyo, buddy," Marina chuckled.

"No, but I'm more than a little sure Narita does, if it's international," Noah clarified.

"Isn't Daddy supposed to be going to Fukushima?" Claire, youngest of the three sisters, called from the kitchen.

"He'll probably take a train there from Tokyo or something," Emma replied.

"If he takes a train, he won't survive the ride," Marina snickered.

"So I'm _not_ the only one who's had Mr. Bassel tell his horror stories about Japanese trains," Noah remarked.

Mr. Bassel, the World History teacher of the local high school the Eranns children attended, had earned a reputation for his... "entertaining" stories of adventures around the globe, and his recanting of how he almost died on a Tokyo train was among the most popular.

 _"They pack you in tighter than sardines in a can, and you can't breathe, can't move, and whatever position you're in when you get slammed up against the window is how you're stuck for the entire ride!"_ the man had exclaimed with exaggerated terror. _"It's hot and stuffy and cramped, and I mean, I'm not a claustrophobic man but you don't even know how glad I was when I finally found freedom at my stop in Hakata! Boy, I tell you, I'm not sure which is worse: getting run over by psycho taxi drivers in France, or having my face stuck in a fat Japanese guy's butt for five hours!"_

Noah had choked when he heard that last part.

"Oh, we've all heard that story, kid," Claire said, pushing her chair away from her desk in the kitchen and rolling into the living room. "I think I remember Emma squeaking because she was laughing so hard!"

"It wasn't a squeak, I was suffocating," Emma corrected.

"From laughing so hard," Claire insisted.

"Well, yeah," Emma agreed.

Noah looked up at the ceiling. "When was dad's flight supposed to leave, again?"

"Actually, three hours ago. He got delayed," Marina replied.

"So, if dad's flying out from LAX now, and Japan is... a timezone behind us, I think, but don't quote me on that... does that mean he's ahead of schedule, or late?" Noah wondered. "Because, I mean, he'll technically be arriving there _yesterday._ I think. I might be wrong, there."

"You know, I hadn't even thought about it," Marina admitted, shrugging.

"All this talk about dad in Japan is making me want Chinese, weirdly enough," Claire stated.

"Yeah, same. Hey, Noah, you want to drive?" Marina asked.

"Learner's permit," Noah reminded her.

"That's why I offered, I'm coming with you," Marina responded.

Noah shrugged and sat up. "I mean, I still don't really feel comfortable in the driver's seat..."

"You won't if you don't ever get out and practice, buddy," Claire said.

"Fair enough," Noah replied, getting up and retrieving his permit and the car keys.

* * *

"Easy on the left turns, now," Marina cautioned gently from the passenger seat as Noah slowly and nervously turned the wheel, guiding the car into a parking space as best he could. Unfortunately, it was crooked... but at least he wasn't straddling two spaces this time around.

"Well, I guess that's better than last time," Noah said.

"You'll get there. Like I said, it's just practice," Marina reassured him.

Noah shut the car off and undid his seatbelt.

"Hey, I just thought of something," Marina said.

"What's that?" Noah asked.

"Have you ever seen that movie by Studio Ghibli, I think the company is called? That movie Princess Mo- um. Mon... M-O-N-O-N-O-K-E?" Marina asked, unable to say the second word of the movie's title. It was a habit she had developed early on in life, verbally spelling out words she couldn't pronounce on her own.

"Oh, that? No, don't think I ever have," Noah replied. "Why?"

"Well, Studio Ghibli's pretty poplar in Japan, I'll bet, so I figure why not see what kind of stuff they make? I saw the movie at the rental shop once or twice before, figured it would be interesting," Marina explained.

"Well, alright, we'll stop by there before we go and get food," Noah decided.

"Cool! I think you'll enjoy the movie," Marina said.

"You've never watched it either," Noah remarked.

"Nope," Marina confirmed.

"Well, then it'll be an adventure for all of us, huh?" Noah said, getting out of the car.

"Think I'd know a thing or two about adventures."

Noah turned to address the new voice, as it was a familiar one. Sure enough, standing behind him was Finn McDaniel, one of Noah's friends from school. He stood just under six feet tall, had long brown hair, braided and pulled back into a ponytail, was lightly tanned and had a very fit physique. Finn was a Scottish transfer student who had something of an obsession with fantasy and adventuring, after learning that his family line traced back at least as far as a knight under British command. One visit to his house revealed that he had used just about every dollar of his job's weekly paychecks to buy all manner of medieval memorabilia off the internet. In fact, he was wearing an article of said memorabilia at that moment - a haubergeon. It was a chainmail shirt. Noah only knew this because he made the mistake of asking, and was amazed he hadn't heard Finn walking up behind him with how noisy it purportedly was.

"...What? Were we not talking about adventuring? Did I step in on something?" Finn asked, noting the confused stare Marina was giving him and the unfazed grimace Noah wore. His accent was light, but still had the robustness of a proper Scotsman.

"Hey Finn," Noah sighed. "I honestly wonder how you can show your face in public wearing Renaissance faire shit like that."

"Ironically enough, I just got back from a Renaissance faire," Finn remarked. "It was up in Hollister. Nice place."

"Of course you did," Noah muttered. "So what brings you here? Pretty sure you can't buy Zweihanders at a strip mall."

"I already have like five, why do I need another one?" Finn asked.

"Fi-? _How do you afford all the shit you have?!_ " Noah demanded.

"I didn't say I bought it overnight," Finn said with a shrug. Then, addressing Noah's initial question, he replied, "No, I'm just here to pick up a few groceries. Mum says we're out of milk, I guess."

"Oh my God, you're buying something normal for once," Noah chuckled.

"Don't get used to it," Finn shot back.

"The 'adventure' thing you heard was us talking about that movie Princess Mononoke that I've been seeing here at the rental store," Marina interjected.

"Oh, that? Huh, I was just about to return it," Finn remarked, producing the movie case from his knapsack. Noah decided not to ask why he had a knapsack.

"What are the odds that you just happened to have this?" Noah asked.

"I've had it for a few days, actually. I saw it on my bed when I got home, realized I was about to go over my rent time, and I really didn't want to get charged for being late," Finn explained.

"Oh! Hey, do you think we could take that off your hands?" Marina asked.

"Uh, I kind of still have to return it first," Finn replied.

"Eh... yeah, right, my bad. We'll just follow you to the store, then," Marina decided.

* * *

Later on, the four Eranns kids enjoyed a night of Princess Mononoke, and an odd combination of boxes of Chinese munchies and spaghetti - Claire's treat. She had been teaching herself how to cook, and wanted to see how well she could do without instruction. The general consensus was positive.

After the movie was over, everybody unanimously decided that they were too tired to do any further binging and went to bed. It was a first for them, because usually they drove their father insane by staying up extremely late on weekends.

Noah laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling for a long while. For some reason, he was having trouble sleeping... he almost thought that something would happen if he closed his eyes. Something bad. But he didn't know what that bad thing was, or why he believed staying awake would stave it off, if it were to happen at all.

"Ah, I'm just being paranoid for no reason," Noah grumbled to himself. He put on his headphones and turned on some peaceful music, then gradually drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two - Unfamiliar Surroundings**

* * *

"...ey, mate... ake u..."

Noah groaned. It felt like someone was shaking him, but he wanted nothing to do with it. He wasn't ready to wake up yet. He was rudely awakened, however, when his headphones were ripped off his ears and smacked against his face.

"I said wake up, idiot!"

"Finn? What the hell are you doing in my room?" Noah asked, rubbing his eyes and sitting up.

"Since when's your room out in the middle of the woods?" Finn asked back.

Noah blinked several times until his vision finally cleared. Then he saw that he was sitting, not in his bed, but in a grassy patch, surrounded by trees. Sunlight punched through a thick canopy of leaves overhead in spots, checkering the ground with pinpoints of light.

"What the-? Where are we? Did we get kidnapped or something?!" Noah demanded, jumping to his feet.

"If we did, our kidnappers either got spooked and left us behind, or this is Criminal Minds happening in real life and we're about to be murdered horribly," Finn replied. "Also, I'm pretty sure our kidnappers wouldn't take us all the way to Japan. Seems a bit too dedicated a kidnapping for two idiot kids from California that nobody can pick out of a crowd."

"Well, I mean, my dad's on a business trip in Japan, so maybe the Yakyza-" Noah stopped short and looked at Finn in confusion as his mind finally caught up with the conversation. "Wait a minute, Japan? I'm sorry, I think you lost me there."

Finn held up a flower, which he had picked from a nearby group, and immediately Noah grimaced. Finn worked part-time at his mother's flower shop, and so in order to help educate customers that were looking for anything specific, he studied floriculture as an elective class.

"Oh, I already don't like what I'm about to hear..." Noah groaned.

"This is a yellow chrysanthemum. It's native to Japan. In fact, it's the national flower of Japan. Call me crazy, but I find it hard to believe that you would just find this in the woods in the California hillsides," Finn explained.

"You know, sometimes I really hate that your mom owns that flower shop... which is something I never thought I'd hear myself say out loud, I should have you know," Noah said. "So... I'm sorry, it's still settling in for me... so, we're somehow in Japan?"

Finn nodded.

Noah nodded back in reply. Then, as the realization finally hit him, he felt his adrenaline spike.

" _We're in Japan?!_ We're in _fucking Japan?!_ " Noah bellowed.

Finn rubbed his ears painfully.

"How?! H-how are... how did we... I don't-"

Finn stood up, took Noah by the shoulders, and slapped him square across the face. The force of the hit sent Noah back to the ground. Noah laid there for a second, letting the numbness fade.

"...Thanks, I needed that," Noah said. "Turns out that's not just a movie thing."

"Happy to help," Finn replied.

"Okay, but seriously, how could we possibly be in Japan right now? We were in California just last night!" Noah said. "Or, wait, maybe it's still night there? Freaking timezones..."

"If I said 'magic,' how badly would you hurt me?" Finn asked.

"I'd knock your Edinburgh ass right out," Noah replied.

"Then I'll just say 'bullshit' and leave it there," Finn decided.

Noah looked around, trying to figure north from south now that he was in a foreign land.

"...What do you want to bet that if we just start walking in a random direction, eventually we'll hit civilization?" Noah asked.

"Okay... and then what? Neither of us speak Japanese, and we don't have any yen on us for payphones or anything like that. Hell, mate, I'm not even sure if Japan still has payphones," Finn replied.

"Shit, that's right. We'd have to find some currency exchanger. And God forbid we find ourselves in a smaller town that doesn't cater to tourism, then we'd really be screwed," Noah realized.

"I mean, it's still better than just sitting around out here, so..." Finn said with a shrug.

"Yeah. Hey, if we're lucky, we might end up running into someone who speaks enough English to help us," Noah said, optimistically.

That was when his cellphone rang. Noah jumped and quickly fumbled the phone out of his pocket.

"...Your default ringtone is techno?" Finn asked.

"Yeah it is, but I'm more concerned about how I even have reception right now," Noah replied, looking with confusion at his phone. It was Marina, no doubt freaked to not find him in the house anywhere.

Noah steeled himself and answered the call.

"...Marina? Is that you?" he asked.

" _Noah?! Noah, where are you?!_ " Marina demanded on the other end. She sounded scared out of her mind.

" _Do we need to call the police?!_ " Emma called from further away. Noah guessed he was on speaker phone.

" _Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!_ " Claire chimed in, probably next to Marina as her voice was as loud.

"Okay, just... slow down, everybody breathe. I'm fine, I'm here with Finn," Noah said calmly.

" _...You're at Finn's house?_ " Claire asked hopefully.

"Uh... well, no, I'm just with Finn," Noah replied, bracing for the inevitable.

" _Where are you and Finn right now?!_ " Marina bellowed.

"Jaysus," Finn muttered.

" _Noah, there was this weird noise from your room, and then an earthquake happened, and when we went to check on you, you weren't there! We need to know where you are so we can call the police and get you back home, okay?_ " Emma explained.

Noah glared at Finn.

"You told me you'd knock me out if I said 'magic,'" Finn whispered, putting his hands up defensively.

"...Okay, if you aren't sitting down, you're gonna want to... Finn and I are in Japan," Noah said tentatively.

At first there was silence on the other end.

" _J... Japan?_ " Claire repeated.

Noah held the phone as far from his ear as possible and squinted preemptively. Finn took two steps back.

" _JAPAN?!_ " All three sisters screamed in unison.

Noah flinched. No amount of preparation could protect him from that response.

"You give me all this guff about magical creatures not existing, and here you live with a bunch of shrieking harpies," Finn chuckled.

"Oh, shut up, you," Noah shot back.

" _Why are you in Japan?! HOW are you in Japan?! You don't even have a passport! They'll arrest you! You don't even have the money for a plane back home! Oh my God, Noah, what are we supposed to do?!_ " Marina cried.

" _Wait! Maybe you can call dad!_ " Emma realized.

" _Wait... but how do you even have reception if you're in Japan?_ " Claire wondered.

"Yeah, that's what I'd like to know," Noah agreed.

" _It doesn't matter! You're in Japan and we don't know how, so whatever, your phone works, too! Call dad! He can get help bringing you back home! And in the meantime, find somewhere to bed down and stay put there, okay?_ " Marina ordered.

"Got it," Noah replied.

" _There's no way we can call the police here, though. They wouldn't take this thing seriously at all!_ " Claire groaned.

"So, basically, it would depend completely on dad and the Japanese police to find us and help us get back home," Noah said.

" _Yeah, and that's why you need to find somewhere to hang out and stay put there,_ " Marina restated.

"Right... but _you're_ probably gonna be the ones calling dad. I just realized, I don't know what kind of charge my phone has, and I don't have my charger cord on me," Noah advised them.

" _That's fine. Just hang on, Noah, we'll have you home soon!_ "

As soon as Marina said this, the call ended.

"Well, that'll be that. Let's get moving, Finn," Noah said.

"Sounds good to me," Finn replied.

* * *

Much deeper in the forest, an air of unrest permeated the wildlife. Birds flew madly to the sky, rabbits and foxes scampered under the cover of whatever brush or hole they could find; larger animals simply scattered in whichever direction they could that would take them away from the approaching threat. The ground shook from the impact of falling trees, mysteriously dead though they had stood tall and healthy mere moments before; and the surrounding fauna began showing signs of decay, which quickly festered as the beast responsible for the madness revealed itself.

It was a hulking, writhing mass of black, oily tentacles. The cloven feet of a massive boar were the only evidence that it once possessed a solid body. Two fiery red eyes glared lifelessly ahead, as if set upon some prey, and each stiff, almost pained movement was filled with purpose. The creature held no regard for the innocent life that was snuffed out around it, and failed to notice - or perhaps care - about the burning, rotten path it left in its wake.

"Humans..." a wicked voice seethed, "Kill... humans...!"

It seemed as though bloodlust was on the monster's mind, as it dragged itself along, looking for any hapless humans upon whom it could enact the fullest extent of its foul rage.

 _"There! He's coming! The boar god is coming for us!"_

The monster growled as memories of a time before flooded its twisted mind.

 _"He'll kill us all! We don't stand a chance!"_

 _"We should never have come to this place! No amount of iron is worth our lives!"_

 _"Quiet! Have I not given you my word that all will be well? Stay back, and see for yourselves how it looks when a god falls..."_

The beast flinched as it mistook its memory of a loud, thunderous sound for the real thing, and let out a godless shriek as an unseen injury sent agony like the fangs of a great snake shooting through its body. With a renewed hatred, it charged ahead with reckless abandon towards wherever its destination would ultimately be.

"Kill humans! _Kill humans!_ " the beast chanted madly, as it massacred all that stood before it in its crazed mission.

It didn't matter which humans. It didn't matter where. All were targets, and all would be slain.

All thanks to that _witch..._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three - Outsiders**

* * *

" _He's what? How could he possibly be here in Japan? Where would be have gotten the money for a plane ticket? And how could he have gotten through security unsupervised?_ " Rick Eranns asked via Skype call, the skepticism evident on his face over the webcam.

"I don't know, daddy, but he is! You have to call the police! You have to find him!" Claire exclaimed, her voice cracking as she came closer and closer to tears.

"We told Noah to stay put somewhere so that they could find him, but we have no idea where in Japan he is, and he doesn't know either, and- and-" Marina couldn't finish her thought. With a dismayed whimper, she finally broke down crying, burying her face into the pillow she clutched tightly to her chest.

Emma, curled tightly into a ball beside her, had fallen silent. All she could do was stare hopelessly off into space and rock back and forth.

" _Jesus Christ... o-okay, girls, look, you all need to calm down. I think he's just playing a mean prank on you, and you're all freaking out over nothing,_ " Rick said. " _Have you tried looking in-_ "

"He's not in the house!" Marina bellowed. "There was some weird noise, and then an earthquake, and when we went to check on him he was gone!"

" _Okay... okay,_ " Rick said calmly. " _Settle down. Look, I'll... get in touch with the authorities, but I really don't see how Noah could be here in Japan right now. I'm not counting on anything, short of getting yelled at for wasting the police's time._ "

"We just want him to come back home..." Emma whispered.

Rick began feeling teary-eyed himself, seeing his daughters in such a state. They shared a very close bond with their brother, and for them to have lost him right out from under their noses was clearly devastating for them - which, in turn, was devastating for him. Rick had stressed from day one how important it was to look out for each other. He owed it to his girls now to live up to his lessons.

" _...I'll do whatever I can. I promise. Just try and keep your heads on straight, okay?_ " Rick said quietly.

The three girls nodded back at him shakily, sniffling and blinking to try and relieve their sore eyes.

" _Alright. I love you all. Stay safe,_ " Rick said, and then he ended the call.

The three girls sat quietly for a moment, but were quickly overcome by their emotions again and huddled close to each other, crying miserably.

* * *

Noah and Finn had been walking for some time when they finally reached a clearing. The sun had reached its zenith - it was noon.

"Sheesh. How deep in this forest are we, anyhow? Feels like it's been hours since we started," Noah said.

"At least. It was still a bit dark out when we got here," Finn recalled. "Looks like we've found something, though. Take a look at that."

Noah looked in the direction Finn was pointing, and saw the silhouette of what looked like a rudimentary lookout tower standing above the treetops, far in the distance.

"What the crap? That thing looks ancient, even from here. Did we end up near some little farm village or something? Does Japan even still _have_ little farm villages?" Noah asked.

"France does," Finn said plainly.

"That's France. We're in Japan," Noah sighed.

"Yes, but if a place like France can have thriving metropolises and villages that held to their roots despite technological advances, who's to say Japan doesn't?" Finn countered.

"...Guess I can't argue with that," Noah admitted.

"Aye? It's as good a place as any to find somewhere to sleep for the night, so let's go," Finn said.

As he turned to start walking, Noah finally noticed the crossbow and longsword Finn had strapped to his back and the bolt quiver hanging from a shoulder strap at his side, and wondered how he hadn't seen them earlier.

"Are you for fucking real? You just happened to have these with you?" Noah scoffed, tapping his knuckle against the crossbow.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I was practicing when that ma- ...when the _bullshit_ happened," Finn explained, remembering that he wasn't allowed to say magic.

"Practicing what? How to get in character for your next LARP meeting?" Noah laughed.

"You joke, but that actually was it. I'm Norgwen Hawk-Talon, a third-level Ranger hailing from-" Finn said.

"Okay, shut up, I don't wanna know," Noah interjected.

Finn chuckled.

"Still though, they let you use real weapons? Isn't that kind of dangerous?" Noah asked.

"Oh, I just carry these for show. When it comes to the actual fighting bits, I use a Nerf crossbow and a foam bat so that I don't actually hurt anybody," Finn explained.

"Ah, got it, that makes more sense," Noah said.

The sound of leaves rustling behind the two set them on alert. When they turned to see who was there, they were both shocked to discover a young man riding atop an elk heading their way.

"Huh? You two look very strange... what are you doing all the way out here?" the young man asked. His brow was furrowed, but he didn't seem unkind. Perhaps wary, but that was it.

Noah recognized the man immediately. How could he not? He had seen that movie just last night, the memories were still fresh in his mind.

"Oh holy hell. Your name wouldn't happen to be Ashitaka, would it?" Noah asked.

The young man recoiled in surprise, and then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How did you know that?"

"If I tell you, are you going to call me crazy?" Noah inquired.

"I will listen, but I promise nothing," Ashitaka said.

"Fair enough, this probably won't make sense anyhow," Noah muttered. "Okay, so... I'm Noah, Noah Eranns. This guy is my friend, Finn McDaniel."

Finn nodded politely to Ashitaka, who returned the gesture in kind.

"You're not off the mark about us looking strange. We're not from here. We come from this place called California. It's in a country people call America," Noah continued.

"America? I don't believe I've heard of such a place," Ashitaka remarked.

"Not really surprising. But, uh, that's actually not the strange part. We're not from this _time,_ either," Noah said.

Ashitaka seemed confused by this statement.

"So, Finn and I are from way in the future. The twenty-first century, to be exact. I can tell you right now that you'll have passed away from old age long before you ever get there, so there's no need to worry about the details. Anyhow, in the twenty-first century, there's this... story, a really popular one... I think. Pretty sure. Finn and I both liked it, at least... and it's about you," Noah explained. "That's how I know who you are."

"...You're right. That does sound mad," Ashitaka said.

"Well, it's the truth, so take it how you will," Finn spoke up.

Ashitaka looked curiously at him. "Do all Californians from America sound like this? Noah certainly doesn't."

"I'm Scottish. From a land called Scotland. I found my way to California from overseas," Finn explained.

"That's how you phrase that? Shit, are you in character right now?" Noah muttered.

"I see," Ashitaka said, nodding. "Then what brings you two here, to the village? And from so... _long_ away, no less?"

"Well, we weren't exactly planning on coming. It just kind of... happened," Noah said, gesturing with his hands as though he had tried and failed to find some better way of saying what he did.

"You mean the gods sent you here?" Ashitaka asked.

"Uh, sure, let's go with that I guess," Noah replied.

"The gods must have seen fit for us to be brought to this time, and it must fall to us now to discover why," Finn said.

"Seriously, what the hell are you doing right now?" Noah muttered again.

"If that is so, then Hi-sama will want to speak with you," Ashitaka said. "As it is, Hi-sama has ordered everybody back to the village, and I feel it would be wise for you to follow."

"Problem?" Finn asked.

"I'm not certain," Ashitaka replied.

"Well, if you say we should, then we should, so let's get going," Noah decided.

Ashitaka nodded and gently nudged his elk, Yakul, into motion. Noah and Finn followed behind him quietly. Then Finn removed the crossbow and bolt quiver and handed them to Noah.

"You'll want to have these handy," Finn muttered.

"What's with you?" Noah whispered.

"His hair isn't cut. Means he hasn't been to the village yet. Plus, Hi-sama's calling everybody. You saw the movie too. You have to know what's coming next," Finn said.

Noah thought for a second, then felt his blood run cold as he realized what Finn was referring too.

"Oh crap," Noah groaned. "Of all the points to wind up at... couldn't whatever bullshit brought us here have dropped us at some safer period of time?"

"Guess not. You know how to use that?" Finn asked.

"Put foot in stirrup, pull bowstring back until it latches, insert bolt and pull the trigger. You've shown me like half a million times, man, of course I know," Noah replied. "What about you? Are you alright with just that sword?"

"Probably not," Finn said. "I mean, I've only had about two or three years in my longsword classes. Can't say I see that getting me places in this situation."

"...Something wrong?" Ashitaka asked, overhearing their mumbling.

"Oh, Finn's just giving me a quick rundown about this crossbow, in case the reason that Hi-sama's calling everybody turns out to be... not good," Noah replied.

"Are you worried there might be danger?" Ashitaka wondered.

"Well, the possibility is-" Noah started.

"Yes," Finn cut in flatly.

"Wow, jump right in over the top of me, sure, that's cool," Noah muttered, unimpressed.

"Easy, friends; we should hear Hi-sama's reasons before we assume anything, shouldn't we?" Ashitaka said.

"We'll hear Hi-sama out, don't get us wrong. I just like to be prepared, is all. Especially when I get this itchy feeling that danger's coming, you know?" Finn replied. "Better safe than sorry, aye?"

"...Yes. Of course," Ashitaka said. "You may be right. Things seem... different today. And not in a good way, I fear."

Having reached common ground, the three decided to end the conversation there, and resumed their silent march.

"...You know what I just realized?" Noah whispered after a moment.

"Hmm?" Finn grunted.

"How are we communicating? We're in Japan. Neither of us speak Japanese. And this is way in the past, so it's gotta be older Japanese. Plus, there's no way in hell Ashitaka should be able to speak English. Yet, here we are, talking like it's nothing," Noah noted.

"I'd say it, but the threat of being punched is still hanging over my head," Finn said quietly.

"Perhaps the gods have granted you the ability to understand? To... speak as others speak?" Ashitaka suggested, again eavesdropping on the conversation.

"I mean, believe what you want, I just think this shit's weird," Noah responded.

"You seem to think very little of the gods; this is the second time now that you have been skeptical of their involvement in things," Ashitaka noted.

"In our time, the world is so different that things like gods and miracles are a stretch of the imagination more often than not," Noah explained. "It's not that I really mean to discredit anybody's beliefs, I've just grown up in an environment where it's difficult to take those kinds of claims seriously, unless you're raised by them."

"I see... then perhaps you have another explanation?" Ashitaka inquired.

"I was asleep in my room, back in California, in the year 2016. Now I'm talking to a man riding an elk in the forests of Japan, several centuries in the past, despite not knowing a lick of Japanese. Hell no, I don't have another explanation, I just feel like magic and the gods are easy cop-outs to a problem none of us even really understand," Noah said.

"All the more reason for you two to meet with Hi-sama; perhaps her gifts can provide some answer to these questions," Ashitaka reaffirmed.

"I sure hope so," Noah said quietly.

"Gifts?" Finn asked, intrigued. "You mean like precognition?"

"Pre-what?" Noah asked.

"It means you can see the future," Finn replied.

"Using these big damn words on me that I've never friggin' heard before, thinking I'm just gonna know what the hell they mean..." Noah griped under his breath.

"I can't really explain Hi-sama's gifts. All I know for certain is that they have long guided our village, and I stand firm in my belief that they will guide us now," Ashitaka said.

"Boy, that point you made about beliefs is coming back in full force, isn't it?" Finn remarked.

"Feels kinda like deja vu right now," Noah replied.

* * *

After a couple hours of walking in silence, the trio emerged into an open field, the only signs of human presence being a network of narrow paths made from deep trenches, with barriers built of stone around the dirt and grass to keep them in place. As Ashitaka rode close to the wall, he climbed to his feet on Yakul's back and hopped onto the rocks, scanning the area for a moment, as though he were looking for something. Yakul, Noah and Finn followed him via a wooden ramp nearby, and Ashitaka climbed back into Yakul's saddle, perhaps deciding that the road ahead was clear.

"What was all that about?" Noah asked him.

"It's easy to get lost in these paths if you don't know which way to go," Ashitaka explained. "I still sometimes forget, even after all the years that I've lived in these hills, so I've taken to checking my surroundings whenever I come this way."

Noah nodded his understanding.

The group walked on for a time, until they heard a friendly call. Ashitaka spotted three figures making their way down the hill towards them - young women, all of them, carrying baskets on their backs and short swords at their waists. Their faces were difficult for Noah and Finn to make out due to the wide brim of their straw hats casting large shadows over their features, but the two boys knew who was approaching. Those same three girls had been present in the movie, as well.

"Kaya? Good timing, everybody's been ordered back to the village," Ashitaka reported.

"Ji-sama was saying the same thing," Kaya said. "He says the forests seem strange today."

"All the birds have been flying away, but it's not time for them to migrate," one of the other girls spoke up.

"The other animals seem to be disappearing, too... everything is so quiet, so eery. I wonder what's happening?" the third girl added.

"I can't say, but you should all head to the village. I'll go and see Ji-sama at the watchtower - something could be coming this way." Ashitaka turned and nodded to Noah and Finn. "I might ask you two to accompany them; it'll be safer for you amongst our people. Besides, you need to meet with Hi-sama."

"What? Ani-sama, what are you saying? These men are outsiders! You know the law!" Kaya objected.

"I do, but these men are a unique circumstance. They need Hi-sama's help," Ashitaka explained.

"We don't plan on staying long, if that helps matters any," Finn said. "We just need Hi-sama to help us find a lead to go on, and then we'll be out of your village's hair."

Kaya and the other girls were struck silent with surprise at Finn's accent.

"Oh... uh, very well, then," Kaya said, looking Finn and Noah over with much greater interest now. "We'll take you. But you must honor your word and leave once you have your answers."

"Not a problem," Noah said. "By the way, thanks. You don't need to be going out of your way for us, I appreciate it."

"Outsiders or not, at least they're well-mannered," one of the other girls said with a good natured smile.

Kaya motioned for the two to follow her, and Ashitaka cut down another path, towards a tall watchtower which stood just before the treeline in the distance.

* * *

Marina was startled awake by her own nightmare. It was the third time that night. She sat up so fast that she gave herself a short head rush, and Claire and Emma beside her both stirred from the couch shaking.

"Hey... hey now, are you okay?" Sammie McDaniel, the girls' close friend and Finn's twin sister, looked worriedly at Marina as the oldest Eranns daughter gasped like she had just been running for several miles. Sammie had come over to keep the three company by their request - and how could she say no? She knew how close the sisters were with their brother. Him going missing wasn't anything to joke about. Besides that, her own brother had gone missing as well. She could certainly sympathize.

Marina stared at the opposite wall, breathing heavily, and then gradually she began to break down again as tears welled back up in her eyes.

"Oh no," Sammie sighed, getting up from the recliner beside the couch and moving over to hug Marina. "Hey, you can't keep going on like this. I'm sure Noah's okay, he's a good boy, he wouldn't go getting himself in trouble. Especially not somewhere he doesn't know."

Marina whimpered pitifully into Sammie's arm as Sammie hugged her closely.

"Alright, now, stop it," Sammie said gently. "You're gonna get me started if you keep on like that."

Marina's chin quivered as she tried to quiet herself down. Emma and Claire both looked at Sammie worriedly.

"Listen, it's not just your brother, it's mine too. Even if Noah didn't know what to do, Finnie is more than capable of handling himself. I'm sure they're fine. Besides, Finnie and I just... know when one of us is in trouble, you know? And I don't feel anything, so that must mean he's doing a-okay, and that means Noah's fine too, doesn't it?" Sammie said, trying to reassure the sisters as best she could.

"But what if he's not?" Claire whispered, shifting close to Marina and shivering.

"Stop it. Don't even think like that. I have faith in my brother, now you all need to have some faith in yours," Sammie said sternly.

The three Eranns sisters sat and thought on those words, then nodded. Gradually, they all calmed back down and went back to sleep, Marina snuggling into Sammie's arms.

Sammie sighed quietly. She had lied to them - though she and Finn were twins, they didn't have that connection she claimed they did. In truth, Sammie rarely knew what Finn was up to, and Finn only occasionally paid attention to what Sammie did with her time in turn. Sammie had no way of knowing whether Finn was safe or not... but believing that he was helped keep her calm, and that was most important at the moment.

"God bless it, Finnie, you'd better not be getting in trouble..." Sammie whispered. "I swear, I'll find you and kill you myself if you are."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four - The Bullet**

* * *

"Yes... yes, he's seventeen years old. Five-foot-eight. He has brown hair and green eyes. Has a light tan, probably wearing a blue shirt... sir, he's an American teenager in Japan, I feel like that'll stand out to you," Rick said over the phone to a Japanese policeman who was able to comprehend and speak English fluently enough to assist him. Following his daughters' frightful command, he had contacted the Fukushimaken Prefectural Police headquarters, as he had no idea where Noah was in Japan and could only assume he was close by... _if_ he was in Japan at all, which Rick still seriously doubted.

"Did he run off from our room? No, he couldn't have. I came here alone on a business trip, so none of my children have any business being here in the first place," Rick explained to the officer. "And besides, my children would have no reason to run away. We're a very close-knit family. It just wouldn't make sense."

In the best English he could muster, the officer on the other end asked another question.

"I'm sorry? The reception is a little fuzzy on my end, I didn't quite hear what you said. Could you repeat that, please?" Rick asked. When the officer repeated the inquiry, he replied, "No, I don't feel like he was kidnapped. My daughters said that some strange earthquake happened, and when it calmed down, they went to check on Noah and he was gone. Then, somehow, they managed to get into contact with him over the phone, and that's when he told them he was here in Japan somewhere."

The officer's next question made Rick sit up straighter in his seat.

"Have _I_ tried contacting him? Uh, heh... no, I can't say that I've thought of that. I-I'll give him a call, see if I can't get any concrete details to help you out. Could you hold on for just a moment, please? Alright, thank you, I'll try and be quick."

Rick's face felt hot with embarrassment as he realized that he never even considered calling Noah. His son was in contact with his sisters, despite that he shouldn't have been able to get service; how had it managed to slip Rick's mind to try and call the boy?

Rick dialed Noah's cellphone number, laying the work cell he was using to speak to the policeman down on the table, and waited for Noah to pick up.

" _...Hello? Dad, is this you?_ " Noah's voice came. He sounded surprised.

"Noah? Oh, thank God, you _are_ okay," Rick said, relieved. But this was soon replaced by aggravation: "So why, exactly, did you think it was a good idea to scare your sisters senseless and have me on the phone with the Fukushima police? Do you realize what could happen if this turns out to be just a stupid joke you decided to play?"

" _You know, I kinda wish I was joking, for once,_ " Noah replied.

"...So you're sticking with that whole 'being in Japan' nonsense, then?" Rick demanded.

" _I'd love for it to be nonsense, dad, I really would,_ " Noah said, beginning to sound a bit irate. " _The way the girls say it, there was a weird noise and an earthquake, and boom, here I am-_ "

Noah was suddenly interrupted by an unintelligible question on his end. Rick could only just make out a feminine tone to whoever's voice it was.

" _Uh, Kaya, I'm talking to my dad right now..._ " Noah muttered.

"I beg your pardon? Who's Kaya?" Rick asked.

" _Uh, well, I'd let you talk to her and find out, but I'm pretty sure she thinks my phone is some kind of demonic artifact or someth- hey- wha- sto- Finn!_ " Noah snapped as his phone was apparently wrestled out of his hand.

" _Hello, Mr. Eranns,_ " Finn's voice came over the line.

"Finn? Finn McDaniel? So, I take it you're with Noah, then?" Rick guessed.

" _Yeah, and he's being a twit, so I figured I'd help him out with this,_ " Finn replied ever-so-casually - a stark difference in demeanor from Noah, who had seemed on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Okay... so, are you going to say the same thing Noah did? About being in Japan right now?" Rick asked.

" _Aye,_ " Finn replied. " _I was in my room, just doing my usual thing, and all of a sudden this massive earthquake rocks the house, I black out, and when I come to, Noah and I are here in Japan._ "

"That's five times I've heard that, now... Oh shit. Maybe you kids _are_ serious," Rick realized, his fear mounting.

" _Sir, we've been serious this entire time,_ " Finn said plainly. " _I'm not allowed to say what I think that earthquake was, because Noah'll punch me if I do, but let me put it this way: We're still in the clothes we were wearing yesterday, neither of us have any money or our passports, and we have nothing but what we're carrying on us to hold us over for the time being - which is one of my crossbows and a sword. So, to say the least, we certainly didn't hop any planes here,_ " he explained.

Rick blinked, trying to wrap his mind around what he was hearing. "I'm sorry, this whole earthquake thing just isn't making sense to me. Did you two stow away on a boat, maybe?"

" _Aye, we totally ran down to the nearest marina, in the middle of an earthquake, tucked ourselves into barrels, and stowed away to Japan like a couple of wannabe pirates,_ " Finn scoffed. " _Come on, man, try and use your head, here._ "

"I'm being serious here, Finn," Rick snapped. "This earthquake nonsense sounds like something out of a damn book, you'll have to forgive me if I'm not inclined to believe it!"

" _Sorry, but it's the truth. It was an earthquake. No getting around it,_ " Finn said, his calmness never wavering.

"Okay... fine, fine. I'll let you have the benefit of the doubt. Honestly, I'm more concerned about how you're handling this so well. Aren't you worried?" Rick asked.

" _Of course I'm worried. We have no idea how to get back home, that should worry anybody in our position,_ " Finn replied. " _Thing is, though, getting all nutty about it won't help the issue, so I'm just putting it in the back of my mind._ "

"...I guess you're right. From the sounds of it, you and Noah are both safe, so there's no real sense in freaking out." Though he said these words, Rick's heart only seemed to pound faster. Then, another question crossed his mind: "Hey, since I have you, do you, by any chance, know where the two of you are? Noah probably doesn't know his face from his tail."

" _...See, I was really hoping you wouldn't ask that, because we're not anywhere in the present day,_ " Finn said.

Rick sat back, chuckling. "Oh come on, Finn. It's already bad enough that you kids managed to find your way across country borders without anything to keep you from landing in jail, _and_ you're all so adamant that it was the work of some alien earthquake, don't go and pull this crap on me, too."

" _I really, really wish it was actually crap. We're on our way right now to an Emishi village,_ " Finn said with no trace of humor in his voice. " _They're one of those groups of people who you would only learn existed after accidentally finding a page about them on Wikipedia._ "

"I can't imagine how you expect me to buy this," Rick sighed. "I'm probably going to land myself in jail for wasting the police's time."

" _Quite honestly, I didn't think you'd believe me. But, hey, it's the truth, so whether you buy it or not is moot,_ " Finn responded. " _Sorry if it lands you in jail, though._ "

"Right. Well, at least I know you kids are okay, so I can tell the police that much. You're not exactly making finding you an easy process, though, just so you know," Rick said.

" _Trust us, we know,_ " Noah said, having snagged his phone back from Finn while Rick was talking.

"Alright, I've kept the officer waiting long enough, I think. I'm going to be keeping in contact with you frequently, so keep your phone handy," Rick advised.

" _Sure thing, dad,_ " Noah replied.

"Don't get into trouble," Rick ordered.

" _I mean, we'll try, but I'm not gonna promise anything,_ " Noah said.

"Noah," Rick said in a warning tone.

" _Look, I didn't say we were gonna go out and look to start shit, did I?_ " Noah argued defensively.

"...Just try and behave. I'll talk to you soon," Rick replied. After he and Noah exchanged their goodbyes, he hung up and returned to his work phone. He paused while reaching for it, however, as he came to a realization: as he had said to Finn, telling the police such a tall tale would likely end with a trip to a Japanese jail cell, if not a mental institution. And from the way all the kids were behaving, it didn't seem like there was anything the police could do in the first place. And the more they persisted about the whole thing being some supernatural phenomenon... the more he began to believe it, himself.

Rick quietly made a decision, and picked up his phone.

"Hello, officer? Yes, I'm back. So, apparently, this was all a big prank, and my son was just screwing around with everyone. He was at home the entire time. I apologize for inconveniencing your department," Rick said to the officer on the other end.

An irritated response was given.

"Yes, sir. I realize that I've wasted your time. Rest assured, it won't happen again. I'm very sorry," Rick apologized.

The officer issued a very strict warning not to call again unless an actual problem cropped up, and then hung up the phone in annoyance.

Rick leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"Well, this is going to be an uncomfortable call to the girls..." he muttered.

* * *

"Sheesh, the guy acts like we're about to set off fireworks in someone's yard or something," Noah muttered, placing his phone back in his pocket.

"China learned how to make fireworks at least as far back as the seventh century, and trade between them and Japan was probably a thing in this time period, so we probably could," Finn said.

"I swear, I don't know how you manage to stay awake enough in your first period history class to retain any of that information," Noah sighed. "I guess it's better than first period P.E., though."

"Who said I learned that in my history class? Mate, we're covering Mesopotamia right now," Finn replied.

"So you got all that off the internet, then?" Noah assumed.

"Wikipedia is a wonderful thing when you want to learn something just because you're bored," Finn confirmed.

"Um... excuse me?" Kaya piped up. "What... was that strange device you spoke to your father with? Was it some sort of talisman? And what is this, uh... Wikipedia, I believe you called it?"

Noah and Finn both stopped in their tracks, both having forgotten that they were still in the company of Kaya and her friends, and fell silent as they realized that they had been speaking so casually about things the girls would never live long enough to understand. The two boys shifted uncomfortably, waiting for one to suddenly have a brilliant explanation and thereby save the other the trouble.

"...Uh, let's put it like this," Noah said, "I was talking to my dad through a very advanced device from my time that, I'm sorry to say, is far beyond your time's capabilities, and Wikipedia is kind of like a... book of infinite knowledge, you could say. And whenever new things are made, dedicated knowledge-keepers add that new information to its pages."

Kaya and her friends seemed intrigued by this, and whispered amongst themselves for a moment. It seemed as though they were prepared to launch into a tirade of further questions.

"And you get on my case for liking fantasy stories," Finn chuckled.

"Your fantasies involve elves and dragons and shit like that," Noah argued.

"You just called an encyclopedia website some book of infinite knowledge forever maintained by keepers. I don't think you have any room to talk," Finn rebutted with a smug grin.

"Oh, stuff it," Noah grunted.

Kaya pulled herself back to reality first and said, "We must hurry to the village. We can't afford to spend too much time out here, or else the others may worry about us."

"Right. Sorry, I forgot that we had somewhere to be," Noah said.

The conversation ended there, and the group picked up the pace along the web of pathways.

* * *

Elsewhere, Ashitaka and Yakul arrived at the base of the watchtower. Ashitaka whispered a command to Yakul to stay, then hopped off his back to the ladder leading up to the tower's landing. Quickly, Ashitaka scaled the rickety structure, stopping only to peer into the shadows of the thick forest. Something seemed... off.

"...Something's coming," Ashitaka muttered to himself. He felt as though he might get a better view at the top, and so scaled the rest of the tower to the landing, where old Ji-sama the watchman watched the forest intently.

"Ji-sama, what do you see?" Ashitaka inquired.

"I... can't say," Ji-sama replied. "It's too thick in the trees to know for certain. But it doesn't feel human, whatever it is."

"Whatever it is seems to have Hi-sama just as worried. I hear she's issued a call for everybody to return to the village," Ashitaka added.

"Yes. That's what has me concerned. Her visions have foreseen-" Ji-sama was cut off by a horrid noise, and the sound of trees being violently felled. His eyes widened in horror as the ground suddenly started to tremor. "Beware, Ashitaka! It comes!"

Ashitaka unslung his bow from his shoulders and nocked an arrow, his aim true to the shadowy opening in the treeline, waiting for the monster to reveal itself.

Several seconds of anxious silence passed between the two men, broken only by the ever-increasing volume of the chaos coming their way, until finally, something appeared - a few black, oily tentacles. Then a few more. Then _many_ more. The ground shook more and more intensely.

Ashitaka pulled the bowstring back.

Suddenly, the true beast burst forth, roaring madly. It was some horrible abomination, many limbs made of tentacles, only two blood-red eyes to mark its face.

Ji-sama choked out a frightened gasp. "I-It's a tatarigami!"

"A tatarigami...?" Ashitaka repeated.

Just then, the tatarigami stopped, the ground rotting away beneath its feet. And to the shock of Ashitaka and Ji-sama, the tentacles that obscured its face peeled away, revealing the head of a gigantic boar. With another enraged roar, the tentacles flew up into the air, revealing the boar's entire body, before crashing back down upon it and consuming it, becoming the many-limbed monster once more.

And then it charged the base of the tower.

Ashitaka recoiled in horror and leaned over the railing.

"Yakul! _Run!_ " he screamed to the red elk below, who was frozen in terror. When Yakul failed to respond, Ashitaka aimed his bow and fired an arrow into the post beside him, startling the elk out of its trance and sending him fleeing from the oncoming monstrosity, which wrapped itself about the tower's supports and broke them into pieces.

Ashitaka grabbed Ji-sama as the tower began to fall and leapt off the landing, the two men plummeting towards a thick tree canopy below and crashing into the uppermost branches - bruised, but safe.

The tatarigami consumed and destroyed the watchtower with nary a care as to its existence, as it was locked onto a new objective.

"It's heading for the village!" Ashitaka gasped. "It's going to attack our people!"

Ashitaka leapt from branch to branch down to the ground.

"Ashitaka, wait! You must not touch the tatarigami! You'll be cursed by its evil if you do!" Ji-sama called, though Ashitaka didn't seem to hear him.

Ashitaka made his way to the rotting hill where the tatarigami had begun its assault and whistled loudly. Yakul was quick to respond, having only run to the nearby trees, and as his rider hopped atop his back, the elk charged after the beast.

* * *

Noah and Finn's bodies went cold at the sound of the monstrous roaring. Kaya and the other girls looked about worriedly, trying to pinpoint the source.

"We need to move," Kaya ordered. "It's not safe out here!"

"Get ready, Noah, it's happening," Finn said grimly.

"Oh shit, oh shit, shit..." Noah said, trembling in fear. Had it been loaded, his quivering hands might have unintentionally bumped the crossbow's trigger and fired a bolt into Finn's side.

Kaya ran back and grabbed Finn and Noah by their arms, dragging the two boys with her as she ran after the other girls. The closer they got to the village, it seemed, the louder the roaring became, and the harder the ground shook.

"I just hope this stays true to the movie, and we don't end up having to square off with him," Noah said to Finn in between breaths.

"Just make sure you have that thing ready to fire if it comes to it," Finn panted back. "Our being here could change any number of events!"

"W-what do you mean?" one of the girls stammered.

"I mean, we're about to see what it is Hi-sama is so worried about, and I fear it's not going to be pleasant," Finn replied.

* * *

Ashitaka rode down the hill and into another patch of the forest, scanning the area around him for any sign of the monster. For being so large, the tatarigami had proven itself to be quite skilled at hiding from sight, and that had Ashitaka worried.

His fears were well-founded, as he suddenly felt the ground rumbling, looked behind him and locked eyes with the tatarigami, who had now chosen him as its target.

 _'It's seen me... perhaps I can use this chance to divert it away from the village!'_ Ashitaka realized. He made sure to keep Yakul in front of the monster and made several attempts to redirect its course, but no matter where he tried to lead the tatarigami, it refused to follow, and Ashitaka would have to cut back in front of it again to regain its attention.

Finally, he turned and faced the tatarigami, holding his hand out in a warding gesture.

"Calm! I beseech you, calm your rage!" Ashitaka begged.

No response. The tatarigami continued its rampage.

"Why? Why must you do this? Why do you, a protector of these forests, seek innocent blood?!" Ashitaka demanded.

Again, no answer. But as he and the tatarigami burst forth into the clearing leading down to the village, the monster stopped and turned... and it was then that Ashitaka spotted Kaya, her friends, and the two outsiders quickly making their way to the village.

"No...!" Ashitaka gasped.

* * *

"Kaya! Monster!"

The girl's shrill warning caught everybody's attention, and they collectively blanched at the sight of the tatarigami - Noah and Finn knew who it really was, of course, but they weren't in any frame of mind to say it aloud.

"Shit... I just remembered, he's going to try and come after-" Noah whispered.

"Kaya. Who we're standing right next to," Finn finished, and for the first time since they arrived in the Muromachi Period, he sounded afraid.

Almost as if on cue, the beast turned towards them and began to charge.

"Fuck me, fuck me, fuck _me_!" Noah cursed as he fumbled with the crossbow, trying to set the bowstring and load a bolt before it was too late.

"No time! To the village! _Hurry!_ " Kaya screamed, grabbing Noah's sleeve and dragging him behind her as he continued to fumble with his weapon, his shaky hands constantly losing their grip on the bowstring and snapping it across his fingers painfully. He didn't have time to try and use the stirrup.

Finn looked back to see Noah having difficulty with the crossbow, and Ashitaka failing to stave off the monster's attack, and decided something needed to be done, _now._ He stopped in his tracks, reached out and ripped the crossbow from Noah's hands, swiped a bolt, and in a matter of seconds, he had set the string and loaded the ammunition. He dropped to one knee, aiming directly at the monster and waiting for his opening to fire.

"Finn, what are you doing?!" Noah called out in shock.

No response. Finn narrowed his eyes as Ashitaka and the monster drew closer.

Noah heard one of Kaya's friends shriek as she tripped and fell to the ground. He ran to try and help her to her feet, but she had twisted her ankle and couldn't stand. Kaya drew her sword and stood defensively in front of Noah and the other girls, bracing herself for what she must have felt was her inevitable demise.

Noah looked up and saw Finn still sitting directly in the path of danger.

" _Finn!_ " Noah screamed.

Right at that moment, Finn's hand twitched against the trigger, and the bolt was released, whistling through the air and slamming into the monster's left eye - right beside Ashitaka's own arrow, fired at the same time, as the Emishi prince had finally decided that reasoning with the beast wasn't working and resorted to self defense instead.

The monster let out a blood curdling scream and turned sharply to the right, recoiling in pain. Finn took this opening to get back to his feet and sprint back to Noah, Kaya and the other girls, while Ashitaka rode back in front of the beast for his next shot.

"Time to go!" Finn said, shoving the crossbow back into Noah's arms and grabbing the injured girl under her shoulders, dragging her behind him as he, Noah, Kaya and the other girl all raced towards the village as fast as they could manage. They reached the border and were received by warriors who pulled them behind their line and made a tight formation, lighting a barrier of wood and dry brush on fire and holding swords, bows, spears and whatever else could be weaponized at the ready, should the beast make it that far.

Meanwhile, as Ashitaka regained the tatarigami's attention, the beast's tentacles pulled in on themselves, then exploded outward and surged towards their target. Ashitaka threw up his right arm to defend himself, and the tentacles latched on. Fighting back the urge to cry out from the burning pain that he felt, Ashitaka ripped his arm free and drew another arrow, turning Yakul and riding him straight towards the monster.

The tentacles peeled away from the boar they shielded, and as it turned its bloody head to glare at Ashitaka, the prince let fly his arrow, which struck the boar in between its eyes and, with unnatural power, punctured through its skull.

With one final horrible shriek, the boar collapsed to the ground, and the tentacles disintegrated. The battle was done.

Ashitaka winced in pain and looked back at his arm, which still had some residual tentacles wrapped about it. As Yakul carried him back to the other villagers, he clutched his arm in pain and slid off the elk's back. Kaya and the other villagers emerged from behind the barrier, rushing towards their injured prince. Noah and Finn stayed put with some of the archers, trying to see to the injured girl and not wanting to risk getting caught in a trap.

"Shit," Noah gasped, clutching the crossbow to his chest. "I'm glad I'm alive... b-but I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"Take a second to breathe," Finn advised, though he sounded about ready to faint. He was breathing rather heavily himself and was drenched in a cold sweat. Noah noticed that he was trembling far worse than himself, which was making his efforts to bandage the girl's injured ankle quite difficult, and he could almost swear that there were tears streaming down his friend's face. Noah guessed that the spot of bravery he had displayed earlier must have been nothing more than an adrenaline rush that had since worn off.

"You... you okay?" Noah asked.

"I'll be fine," Finn whispered, though he seemed on the verge of breaking down completely.

"Where's Hi-sama? Ashitaka has been wounded!" one of the warriors called.

Finn and Noah looked up in time to see another burly villager cart a frail medicine woman on his back out to the injured Ashitaka.

"Everyone! You must not touch his wounds!" Hi-sama called to the gathered crowd around Ashitaka. At her warning, everyone stepped back cautiously, while Ashitaka sat on the ground clutching his arm in pain.

Hi-sama climbed down from the villager's back and hobbled over to Kaya with a water gourd, proffering it to the girl.

"Here, take this water and pour it on the wound - slowly," the elderly woman ordered.

Kaya took and unstopped the gourd, then poured the water onto Ashitaka's injured arm. To the shock of everybody, the water flashed to steam on impact, making a cloud big enough for Noah and Finn, still behind the barrier, to see.

"I know I saw this in the movie, but seeing it for real is way more unnerving," Noah muttered.

"That tends to be the way things go," Finn mumbled, having had a chance to calm himself down somewhat.

Whilst Kaya tended to Ashitaka's wound, Hi-sama turned and walked slowly to the dead boar, bleeding profusely from its wounds. The villagers took a knee respectfully before the body.

"I know not where or why you came, nor for what crime we were made to witness your fury, great one... but I would humbly speak," the elder said. "Your death will not be dishonored. We shall plant a totem in your memory, upon the very ground where you lay. May you release your anger and find peace where your soul now travels."

For a moment, there was a solemn silence... but then, to the fright of everyone, the boar spoke:

"You filthy humans... you will know of my pain, and my sorrow! You will suffer, as I have suffered!"

The boar's voice rumbled like thunder, and the ground trembled ever so slightly. The warriors ducked protectively behind their shields, some moving to guard Hi-sama, others inching back as if preparing for a full-scale retreat. With one last menacing glare through its undamaged eye at Ashitaka, the boar finally breathed its last, and in a sickening display, everything dissolved until only the massive skeleton remained, upon the blackened, ruined earth where it fell.

Noah and Finn peaked out from behind the barrier, then decided it was finally safe to emerge and followed the archers out to the crowd.

"Wow. That... that was ominous," Noah remarked.

The villagers turned and stared warily at the two outsiders, but Ashitaka stood shakily to his feet and approached them.

"I have you two to thank for protecting Kaya and the others. Were it not for you, there would have been far worse damage than a few injuries," the prince said graciously. Hearing his words, the other villagers seemed to decide that the boys were of little threat and calmed themselves.

"Yeah, about that - how bad's your arm hurt?" Noah asked.

Ashitaka didn't answer, merely cradled his newly bandaged forearm grimly.

Noah suddenly saw a glint come from the skeleton behind Ashitaka.

"Hang on, it looks like there's something..." he muttered. Ashitaka looked to where he had as he started to move towards the small point of light.

"Wait! Don't approach the body! There's no telling what could happen!" Hi-sama warned.

"I'm pretty sure he's dead this time, call it a hunch," Noah replied, walking to the skeleton. As he stepped into the shadows of the massive bones, onto the ruined ground where they laid, he spotted what looked to be something metallic and bent down to pick it up.

It looked to be a small, almost spherical metal ball, scorched slightly on one end. It was small enough to be called a marble, but was heavy in the hand. It gleamed in the sunlight from the blood it was coated with.

"Hey, isn't that-?" Finn asked quietly.

"The bullet that kickstarted everything. Yep," Noah replied. "And everybody just watched me find it, so it's not like I can avoid questions at this point. What do you think, should I fudge it and act like I've never seen this before, or...?"

"Worried you'll accidentally mess up the plot and possibly trap us here forever?" Finn asked.

"I'm actually more worried about being strung up for being suspiciously well-informed about this," Noah answered, gesturing to the bullet ball. "But sure, we'll go with your idea."

Ashitaka and Kaya approached the two boys from behind, as did Hi-sama and a few of the warriors who were willing to brave the scarred ground they stood upon.

"What is it? What have you found?" Hi-sama inquired.

Noah and Finn exchanged a glance which said, "no avoiding it now," and turned to face the group. Noah walked up to Hi-sama and placed the bullet into her open, bony palm.

"I'm not the smartest person in the world, but I have this funny feeling that what you're holding might have some responsibility for what happened here," Noah said carefully, choosing his words.

Hi-sama looked at the small metal ball with a dark, worried expression. Ashitaka and Kaya stared in wonder at the object. Whispers began circulating through the other warriors as they tried to wrap their heads around how such a small thing could cause so much trouble. Then, without a word, Hi-sama turned and made her way back into the village, guarded closely by the warriors. Ashitaka and Kaya stayed behind with Noah and Finn.

"I suspect there's to be a gathering tonight, in light of this," Kaya mused.

"It might do you two good to be present as well. No doubt, the villagers will be concerned about the circumstances of your arrival and the attack happening within the same day," Ashitaka advised.

"Okay... but are they even going to let us in? It doesn't really seem like you cater to visitors very often," Noah wondered.

"You're correct - we don't typically host outsiders. But this is a different occasion. There's no ignoring the effort you went to in order to protect Kaya and the other girls, and she attests that you played a hand in helping me fight off the tatarigami as well. Besides that, you two stood beside us, ready to fight to the end, if it came to that. You've more than earned our respect. They'll let you pass," Ashitaka said with utmost certainty.

Finn and Noah looked at each other and shrugged.

"Well, no time like the present, then," Noah decided. "Let's get to that gathering."


	5. Chapter 5

_I don't actually know what provoked the Emishi people to war with the Japanese, and it's unusually hard to find any information pertaining to it. I ended up fudging that entire part. Feel free to yell at me if I got it wrong, because I probably did._

* * *

 **Chapter Five - Westward Bound**

* * *

"Ashitaka's injuries need further attention, so the gathering has been postponed for a while," Kaya reported to the two outsiders sitting across from her. She, the other two girls, and the two boys were all gathered in a small hut, waiting for news to come. The one girl's injury had been stabilized by a pair of sticks wrapped tightly against her leg with bandages, courtesy of Noah, who claimed, 'This is the first time I've ever had to actually give a crap about my first aid classes.' On his end, Finn had fashioned a crutch for her to use while walking, which laid beside her on the ground.

Noah continued wrapping his own hand, which had begun to hurt badly as the effect of a bowstring repeatedly snapping against his knuckles finally hit him.

"Hey, Finn? Let this be a lesson to you to never give me the crossbow again," Noah said.

Finn chuckled. "Certainly, don't trust you to save someone's life with it anymore. That was a mistake."

"Yeah, turns out I'm completely useless in stressful situations," Noah replied. "That would have ended in utter tragedy if you hadn't taken the damn thing from me."

"I'm just happy we all made it through with our lives," Kaya said. "And you two have our thanks for what you did, even if the other villagers won't ever say it themselves."

"Funny how the threat of death makes us crazy enough to square off with a possessed boar god, huh?" Noah remarked.

"And then turn around and drag someone out of the crossfire, to boot," Finn added. He nodded at the injured girl, "How's your leg, mate?"

"Uh... I beg your pardon?" The girl asked timidly, taken aback by Finn's casual use of the word "mate."

"Oh, uh, sorry. That's just how we say 'friend' where I'm from," Finn explained. "It would be mighty presumptuous of me to try and claim that we were a romantic pair, wouldn't it?"

"I'm sure your sister would have some questions," Noah joked.

As soon as he said this, Finn recoiled like he had just taken a hit.

" _Damn_ it! My sister! I completely forgot, she's probably freaking out about me!" Finn exclaimed.

"Relax. Here, my phone... mysteriously still has fifty percent charge on it... so go ahead and give her a call, let her know you're alright," Noah said, offering his phone. "By the way, why am I suddenly the calm one, here?"

"Seeing a tatarigami charging straight on at me has a funny way of making me conscious of my mortality," Finn replied, taking the phone and scanning through a list of Noah's contacts. "Why do you have my sister's number in here in the first place?"

"Just in case you drove off a cliff and exploded, or something like that," Noah said.

Kaya and the other girls looked worried by that statement.

"I'm joking. That wouldn't happen, Finn doesn't even drive in the first place," Noah told them.

"Unless you mean go-karts, but that's not really driving as much as it is slamming the gas pedal to the floor and ripping around turns at speeds that would otherwise get me arrested in any other setting," Finn added.

Worry gave way to confusion as the girls' gazes slowly went blank.

"...Yeah, we should really try and be more conscious about topics people will and won't understand, here," Noah realized. "In any event, I haven't seen or heard your phone at all since we got here, so I'm pretty sure you didn't bring it with you, which is another reason I have your sister's number."

Finn didn't respond, as he had dialed his sister's number and was waiting for her to pick up. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that the phone was on speaker mode, and so:

" _Finn Mc-fucking-Daniel, where the hell are you?!_ "

Everybody flinched at the sound of Finn's sister's angry voice accosting her brother. Finn blanched white and started sweating. He didn't know how Sammie knew it was him on the line, but that was hardly the biggest problem: he hadn't realized just how badly him being missing would piss her off.

"Uh... W-well, hello to you, too, Samm-"

" _Weesht yer puss, ya muckle gype! Don't you 'hello to you, too' me! Do you even know how worried fucking sick I've been?! I'm damn near natty over all this! Where the hell do you get off, you little fucking shite?!_ " Sammie had a nasty habit of slipping into Scottish slang when she was angry, and it was exactly as terrifying as one might expect. Evidently worse so for Finn, who was actively cowering away from the phone speaker.

"Uh, S-Sammie, I get... I get that you're mad, for some reason, but I've got Noah sitting right next to me, I don't think he needs to-" Finn said weakly.

" _Noah?! YOU!_ " Sammie bellowed.

Noah was about fit to come out of his own skin, and shoved himself back against the wall, as if that would save him from the fiery temper of Finn's twin sister.

" _Noah fucking Errans, you dobber bastard! Do you even know what state you've put your poor sisters in?!_ " Sammie barked - one could almost have had her confused for an angry guard dog.

"Jesus Christ," Noah gasped, terror-stricken as Sammie turned her wrath on him.

" _Jesus can't help you now, boy! Swear on my life, I'll rip you both apart when you get your sorry arses back here!_ "

Kaya and the other girls were now scooting quietly away from the two boys, hoping the screeching device in Finn's hand wouldn't notice and target them next.

"Christ, Sammie, you've completely gone off it," Finn sighed. "It's not like we were trying to come here, you must know that."

A moment of silence on the other end indicated to the group that Sammie was either forcing herself to calm down, or getting ready for another salvo of threats and angry bellowing. Thankfully, it turned out to be the former, as with a quiet sigh, Sammie came back on the line:

" _Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. Between trying to keep Noah's sisters' heads on straight and not losing my own damn mind, I've just been needing to get mad at someone, I guess._ " Sammie then groaned. "i _I really hope you figure out a way to come home soon, they'll cart me off to the nuthouse at this rate._ "

"Well, knowing we're still safe has to help a little bit," Finn said.

Sammie scoffed on her end. " _Yeah, real help. My brother's not dead yet, and I may never hear about it, if and when it does happen! What a relief!_ "

"Come on, try to have more faith in us than that," Finn said. "We'll figure out a way through this, I'm sure of it."

" _You liar, you're not sure of anything,_ " Sammie retorted.

Finn looked at Noah with an expression of defeat. She had him on that one.

"Okay, so... we're not sure. But you should at least have a bit more faith in our ability to not die, aye?" Finn said.

" _I'm not doubting your ability to keep safe. I'm doubting that it'll amount to much,_ " Sammie said plainly. " _But... ah, enough of that. You're safe, that's what matters to me. I suppose I can make do with that._ "

"...By the way, I'm surprised you're not asking me how my phone is working. Everybody else has so far," Noah remarked.

" _Consider for a second who my brother is. I had it chalked up to magic from the get-go_ ," Sammie replied.

One of the other villagers poked his head into the hut and nodded to Kaya, whispering something. Kaya replied quietly and looked to Noah and Finn expectantly.

"Right, Sammie, I've gotta go. We'll keep in touch," Finn said.

" _You do that,_ " Sammie replied, and abruptly, the line went dead. She had never been the most graceful person at ending phone calls.

Finn handed Noah back his phone and looked at Kaya. "Is it time?"

"Yes," Kaya confirmed. "The gathering is ready to commence. Hi-sama has requested you both be present."

"Figured as much," Noah muttered.

* * *

The village elders were all gathered in Hi-sama's hut. Hi-sama sat in the middle of the ring, and across from her, Ashitaka. Noah and Finn sat on his right side, shifting uncomfortably as the several dozen wary eyes of the villagers huddled outside the doorway bored holes into their backs.

"This was truly a disaster," Hi-sama said, then fell silent for a moment as she laid out what looked to be polished stones, bone pieces, leaves, and miscellaneous other objects on a white sheet. A red triangle was painted onto the sheet.

Finn leaned over to Noah. "Looks like some kind of scrying," he whispered. "Stone-reading, maybe? But I'm not sure what those other things are for."

Ashitaka looked at Finn sternly and made a gesture for him to be quiet.

"Are you familiar with this practice, outsider?" Hi-sama asked Finn. All eyes turned to the boy.

"...Well, I've heard of it. Never seen anybody do any scrying in real life, though," Finn admitted.

"The leaves, the bones, the wooden idols - these are beacons to the spirits with whom I wish to commune. Through these stones, they speak to me. Where the stones land is how they convey their message to us," Hi-sama explained.

With this, she began to pick up and gently drop stones onto the sheet, seemingly aiming for the red triangle. She stared intently at where they bounced and rolled. The hut was completely silent, save for the small fire that provided light.

"The tatarigami we faced was a boar. It seems that he came from the west," Hi-sama announced finally. After some more shuffling of the stones, she continued: "He was struck fatally, and in his pain, he was driven mad. He ran, and his rage formed a curse that transformed him into the beast we felled."

Hi-sama looked up at Ashitaka. "Show us your arm," she commanded.

Ashitaka nodded, and undid the wrappings on his right arm. Everybody flinched and gasped at the deep purple burn marks that lined his forearm from his wrist to the crook of his elbow. Noah and Finn were the only ones who seemed unfazed, but only because of what they already knew.

"That same curse the boar brought with him, he has now given to you," Hi-sama said. "True to his word, that curse will bring you great pain and suffering, and it will only grow stronger from the anger it brings. It will be your demise."

As though the hut had been struck by lightning, the elders raised their voices in objection.

"Then we're to watch him die?! Our only prince?!" One exclaimed in disbelief.

"He saved our daughters, and our village! This is to be his fate, after his sacrifice?!" Another barked angrily.

"Hi-sama, there must be another way!" Ji-sama, the tower watchman, declared in desperation.

"There is," Hi-sama said calmly. She produced the bullet ball that Noah had found, and laid it on the sheet.

"Young one," Hi-sama said, nodding to Noah, "you seem to know of this object."

Noah sighed as everybody's eyes turned to him. "Yeah, no pressure or anything," he muttered.

Finn elbowed Noah in the side, quietly telling him to get on with it.

"...That's the thing that killed that boar. It fell out of his body when he finally died," Noah said.

"Such a small thing... could it really do so much damage?" One of the elders asked incredulously.

"You saw for yourself, didn't you?" Finn asked back.

Hi-sama shuffled some more stones for a moment.

"The spirits say that something is happening in the west," she said. "They say that there is unrest growing, and that the boar you have slain is but one small piece of a far greater conflict. You should travel westward, Ashitaka, and see for yourself, with eyes unclouded. You may find a cure for your curse, there."

Hi-sama looked to Noah and Finn, and added, "The spirits say that you may find a way home, as well."

Noah and Finn perked up at this.

"There's a way for us to get back home in the west?" Noah repeated. "How?"

"That is for you to discover. The spirits only know so much of fate's designs," Hi-sama replied. "They do know, however, that your being brought here was the work of an unnatural force, not commanded by the gods, or by fate."

"So, in other words, our ending up in this time was a completely random accident?" Noah asked.

"Yes. The spirits say that this strange happening that brought you two here seems to move about aimlessly, and those who are caught in its path suffer the consequences - be they gods or men," Hi-sama explained. "It just so happened to be that this time, it was men it swept up."

"Aye, us," Finn grumbled.

"Sounds like the spirits are even less certain of things than we are. But hey, I'll take any potential solution over no solution at all," Noah decided. "West it is, then."

"Agreed," Finn said.

Ashitaka remained silent. He looked unhappy about his situation.

"You must know, Ashitaka - once you leave us, once you leave these mountains we call our home..." Hi-sama said softly.

"...I will be exiled," Ashitaka finished.

"If I could just ask," Noah interjected, "why does he have to be exiled? I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Outsiders. That's why," one of the elders spat.

Noah recoiled in surprise. As he looked behind him, he noticed that his question seemed to stir up negativity amongst the villagers, who began muttering in a decidedly hostile manner.

"This small village you find yourselves in is among the last remaining safe havens for the Emishi people," Hi-sama explained, silencing everybody. "Long ago, we came to this land. For a time, we flourished. We have always kept to ourselves, but when we crossed paths with the outsiders who called themselves citizens of Nihon, we were willing to try and coexist with them.

"However, they were not so willing to extend that same courtesy. We were seen as inferior. Unclean. Barbaric. The outsiders tried to exterminate us, or force those they couldn't into labor. We went to war in retaliation, but were defeated by the forces of Yamato. We fled to these mountains for sanctuary, away from their swords.

"Eventually, our numbers had dwindled to barely anything at all - I would not be surprised if our village is, in fact, the last. Those of us who were not willing to hide let themselves be subjugated, disgracing us all. And it is because of those outsiders, what they have done to us, that Ashitaka shall be exiled once he departs, as it will be those very outsiders that he will be intermingling with in the west."

Hi-sama finished speaking and let the two boys take in what she had said. The silence hung heavy and tense in the hut.

"...Well. That would certainly explain it," Noah said finally, keeping his eyes to the ground and his shoulders hunched, as if hoping to turn invisible. Finn said nothing, but looked thoroughly uncomfortable as he kept rolling his shoulders and pulling at his shirt's neckline, all the while glancing about at anything that wasn't an Emishi villager.

"You two shouldn't bear the guilt of the past," Ashitaka said. "You weren't responsible for our suffering. In fact, you put your own lives at stake to protect what little we have left."

"Ashitaka speaks the truth. You do not hail from this land. You do not call yourselves citizens of Nihon. You could not know what we have felt," Hi-sama agreed. "But this is the law of our village. And, unfortunately, breaking this law is the only way for Ashitaka to cure his curse, lest we all keep him here and watch him die before our own eyes."

"So no matter what we do, we will lose our prince?" asked Ji-sama. "There truly is no other way? Nothing we can do?"

"This is not the work of human hands. Human remedies will solve nothing," Hi-sama said bluntly. "I am afraid, Ashitaka, that this is the only way. You must..." Hi-sama sighed heavily, and with considerable sadness. "...You must exile yourself."

Ashitaka sat silent, staring at the ground for a moment. Then, he got to his feet and moved over to a small shrine in the corner of the room. Many of the elders couldn't contain their grief as he procured a small knife and sliced off the bun that sat atop his head, his once neat and smooth hair now falling about his face limply and messily.

Despite having seen this very moment in the movie in their time, Noah and Finn both flinched. Something about the finality of it happening in real life before their eyes made it that much more painful to see.

Ashitaka laid his severed hair at the shrine and took a short moment to pray. Then, he got to his feet, looked to Noah and Finn, and motioned to them that it was time to depart. The two boys quietly, though very nervously, got to their feet and followed the exiled prince.

* * *

The crowd who had been gathered at Hi-sama's door had dispersed. The village seemed dead and abandoned, though the truth of the matter was that the villagers were simply not seeing their former prince off, in accordance with their laws. The silence of the night felt heavy, and Noah almost wanted to kick up a conversation just to break it.

Ashitaka made a brief stop by what must have been his hut, and only to grab his bow and quiver, his sword, and a traveling cloak which rested outside his door. After that, he called Yakul over to him from nearby, and pulled himself atop the faithful red elk, finally ready to leave.

"Wait!"

Noah and Finn were startled by the sound of Kaya's voice, and turned around perhaps a bit more sharply than they had meant to, which brought Kaya - and the injured girl Finn and Noah had protected from an untimely demise earlier - to pause.

"Please. I just wish to speak to him one last time," Kaya said.

"...Oh, uh, that's fine, we're... we're not trying to stop you, my apologies," Noah replied.

Kaya nodded gratefully and pushed by the two boys to Ashitaka's side. He seemed surprised to see her.

"They forbid us any farewell to those who go in exile," the injured girl said to Noah and Finn, catching their attention. "But I couldn't just allow you two to leave without giving you something. Not after what you did for me."

"That's not necessary, miss," Finn said.

"And we don't want you to get in trouble with your people over this," Noah added.

The injured girl shook her head. "I don't care if I do. The reason I'm still alive is because you two risked your own lives for mine, and that must be repaid."

The girl braced herself against the crutch Finn had fashioned for her and produced a small pouch. She took Noah's hand and laid the pouch in his palm.

"...What is it?" Noah asked.

"They're charms," the girl replied. "I made them so that you, too, may be safe, even when the end seems near."

The girl held Noah's gaze for a moment, and it seemed that her hands tightened around his own ever so slightly. She didn't want to let go, as it meant that her saviors would leave forever... but, eventually, she released her grip. The laws were the laws. Outsiders were not welcome, even if they had saved a life. Prolonging Noah and Finn's stay would only lead to trouble.

Finn looked hard at the girl for a second, then reached into his pocket.

"Oi, miss? Catch," he said.

The girl looked quizzically at Finn, just in time to throw up her unoccupied hand and catch something that he had tossed at her. When she opened her hand, she saw a stone, with what looked like a prayer etched into its smoothed surface.

"Is this...?" the girl inquired.

"You're not the only one who dabbles in charms, mate," Finn said before turning around and making his way over to Ashitaka. Noah stared at the stone for a moment, then turned and followed suit.

The injured girl looked on at the two boys. As she closed her fingers protectively over the stone, she felt tears well up in her eyes.

"...That was your prayer stone, wasn't it?" Noah asked quietly.

"You know me. I'm not the most religious person in the world. It's nice to have, but I don't need it," Finn replied.

Kaya, having apparently said what she intended to, turned away from Ashitaka and walked past the boys, back to the injured girl. She cast a sad glance over her shoulder, but said nothing.

"I'm betting the answer's no, but... are we ready to head out?" Noah asked Ashitaka.

Ashitaka stared at an object he held in his hand - Noah knew it was Kaya's crystal dagger - before looking down at Noah and Finn and nodding.

The three made their way out of the village in silence, unaware that Kaya and the injured girl were following behind them. They stopped at the entrance and watched the three until they had disappeared into the forest. It was at this point that Kaya allowed herself to cry.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six - Cursed Arrows**

* * *

Sunrise broke over the mountains, slowly blessing the world in its warm light. The trees glistened with dew that had settled on their leaves in the night, and the rivers and lakes reflected the beauty of the morning back up to the sky, so that the gods themselves might see it and be gladdened.

Noah, Finn and Ashitaka didn't pay much mind to this natural wonder. They had travelled for many hours by this time, and had yet to sleep. They were incredibly tired, and Noah, for one, was not in the most pleasant of moods.

"Feet hurt, mate?" Finn asked, barely staving off a yawn.

"Oh no, they feel just peachy, _thanks,_ " Noah grumbled. "Walking all night is what I like to do for fun, don't you know."

Finn scoffed. "And that's my fault, is it? I didn't exactly ask to be sleep deprived, myself."

"I apologize. It wasn't my intention to run us ragged," Ashitaka said. "I was just trying to put distance between us and the village. Exile has a strange way of making what once was home seem a foreboding land where no man can live..."

"Yeah, no, I understand, I get it. I'm just sore, is all," Noah sighed, trying to stymie his irritability. "And it's good to get moving anyhow. Your curse isn't gonna wait on you, and Finn and I need to get home before things get too crazy."

"Sleep is still a welcome thought, though," Finn said.

"Yeah. At this point, I honestly don't care if it's comfortable or not, I woke up on the ground when I first got here anyhow," Noah agreed.

"I understand. We'll rest at the first convenience, I just ask that you bear with me a while longer," Ashitaka promised, and from the weariness in his voice, it seemed genuine.

For another few hours, the trio walked on in silence, not having much to say to each other. Then, Noah's phone rang, startling the boy and rekindling his aggravation. He ripped his phone out of his pocket and jabbed the answer button roughly.

"Yeah, what?" Noah snapped.

" _...Good to hear from you, too?_ " Rick's voice replied on the other end. " _Things aren't going so well, I take it?_ "

"No, not really, dad," Noah said. "Since your last call, we nearly died, got kicked out of a village, and now we're wandering through the woods heading somewhere west because we were informed that, _maybe,_ there was a way for us to get back home. We haven't slept at all since then, and we haven't stopped moving, and I can't tell what Finn's feeling, but my feet are ready to break, so, no, not having the best day, no."

Ashitaka glanced curiously over his shoulder. He hadn't heard Noah's father before now.

" _Um. Care to run that first bit by me again?_ " Rick asked, sounding worried.

"Well, Mr. Eranns, shortly after the last chat we had, Noah and I got dragged into a bit of a rough situation that very nearly killed the both of us. Thankfully, we made it out just fine, so you can stop freaking out, now," Finn explained.

" _You almost died?!_ " Rick exclaimed. " _Jesus Christ! Where in the hell are you two?!_ "

"We've been over that," Noah replied curtly.

" _Are you forgetting that I'm your father? You had best mind your tone with me, Noah!_ " Rick snapped. " _I'm allowed to worry about the health of my damn children, in case you weren't told!_ "

"Er... yeah, my bad. Sorry," Noah said, wincing in embarrassment.

By this point, Ashitaka had stopped Yakul, climbed down from the saddle, and wandered over to the two boys, staring curiously at the phone.

"How is your father's voice coming out of this... thing?" he asked.

" _Excuse me? Noah, who was that, just now?_ " Rick asked.

"Uh, that was Ashitaka, dad," Noah replied. "We're traveling with him. He got exiled from that village we were kicked out of. He's helping us maybe find whatever it is that can get us home."

" _Ashita-? You must be joking right now. Your sisters emailed me about that movie you kids watched. Hell, I looked it up and watched it myself for the hell of it. Do you mean to tell me that you want me to believe that you're trapped in a damn movie?_ " Rick asked incredulously.

"I mean, there's really no other way to say it," Noah responded.

"Movie? What is he talking about? What is a movie?" Ashitaka asked, growing ever more confused.

"Don't worry about it, it's way beyond your time," Finn said.

" _...Shit, that really does sound like him. You kids are trapped in a movie,_ " Rick realized. Noah could just barely hear him start banging his head against a wall.

"Well... kind of, but not really? I don't really know how to explain it," Noah said. "Yes, we're following the movie's plot, but the world around us feels just a tad too real."

" _I swear this gets more and more ridiculous with each new detail... wait. So, since I don't really have much choice but to believe that you're trapped in the movie's time, does that mean that village you got kicked out of was...?_ " Rick wondered.

"Yep. And the thing that nearly killed us was Nago," Noah finished for him.

Rick was silent for a while.

"Your silence is making me wonder if Nago didn't kill you, too," Noah remarked.

" _I am hoping beyond hope that you find a way home,_ " Rick said, his voice fearful.

"Trust me, we're trying," Noah said reassuringly. "Just keep in touch, alright?"

" _Of course,_ " Rick said.

"Alright. Talk to you later, dad," Noah said.

" _Be careful, Noah. Please,_ " Rick replied.

"I will. Bye." Noah hung up and placed his phone back in his pocket with a sigh. "Great, now I feel bad.

"It sounds to me as though your father is simply trying to look out for you," Ashitaka said.

"Yeah, he is. He kind of has to, he's all my sisters and I have since mom died," Noah replied.

"You have my condolences," Ashitaka said, his voice becoming solemn.

"Oh, don't even worry about it. She died a little bit after I was born, it's been plenty long enough now for me to move on from it," Noah said in an attempt to be reassuring, though his voice was distant, as he was thinking about the very incident he claimed to have moved on from.

Alice had been taken by a freak onset of pancreatic cancer shortly after Noah had been born. At the time, according to Rick, the doctors had said that they were amazed by how malignant the cancer cells were, and that, unfortunately, there was nothing to be done to save her. It was only a matter of time before she passed away. Noah's sisters were four, five and six years old by this point. Noah was two. He was able to handle it better than the girls because he wasn't really old enough to comprehend who his mother was, but he did still occasionally find himself desperately being in need of a motherly figure for comfort beyond what his older sisters could provide, though they cherished their younger brother dearly.

Elizabeth Errans-Shaw, Alice's surviving sibling, attempted to insert herself into the children's lives as the mother they were deprived of, but between a turbulent marriage to Rick's brother, who had recently fallen into drug abuse, and her grief for the loss of her sister, she had to duck out and take time to herself. After that, it seemed as though she had forgotten that she was trying to supplement Alice in the family, and that was when Rick took full responsibility for playing both roles for his son and daughters. Other members of Alice's family attempted to help ease the burden for him, including his addict brother, whom Elizabeth had convinced to go into rehab after he nearly died from an Oxycodone overdose, but Rick was adamant that he would do good by his wife's memory and raise them himself. Noah couldn't blame him for being so badly freaked out to learn that he couldn't do that for his son at the present time, only being able to hope that nothing ill befell him.

 _Frankly,_ Noah thought, _that feels like all I can do, too._

"Oi," Finn said, elbowing Noah lightly. "We have to get moving, mate. Unless you'd rather sleep in the grass again?"

Noah shook his head and snapped himself out of his depressing thoughts. "Nah. The grass is only comfortable when I don't know I'm sleeping on it."

The three, now in something of a more agreeable frame of mind with each other, set off once more, continuing on until they reached some kind of civilization – hopefully, one that would be nice enough to offer at least a mat to sleep on.

* * *

Not too far ahead of the trio was a simple farming village. The people there were a friendly enough sort, in part because they didn't receive many visitors due to their seclusion. They were the kind of people who knew that the world was far larger than their humble town, but they were quite happy where they were. The residents had all been awake since early into the sunrise, and were busy into their work, just another quiet, happy day.

It didn't last long.

One of the farmers looked up at the sound of rumbling, and gasped in horror to see a horse-mounted ronin charging straight at him, a wicked look in his eye. The reputation of ronin was rarely, if ever, a good one, as one did not become a ronin unless they were disgraced as samurai – be that by the death of their masters, or their own misdeeds. And more often than not, those samurai who were reduced to the status of a ronin stopped caring about who they worked for, or what their target was, so long as they had some excuse to draw their sword again, to exact their rage at being cast out of one of the highest positions in life, if not perhaps _the_ highest, according to some. There may have been a select few of their kind who were good, upstanding individuals, but they were certainly not present here.

The poor man had barely even stood up and taken the first step back to flee before the steel of a blade cleanly severed his head from his shoulders. The attention of the rest of the villagers snapped in unison to the gruesome sound of their neighbor being cut down, and that was when they realized that the ronin had brought friends. Far too many friends.

* * *

"I get not wanting to get your clothing wet, but this seems a bit... uh..." Noah said, fumbling for the right word.

"...Excessive," Finn finished.

Ashitaka paid the commentary little mind as he stripped down to nothing but his smallclothes and wrapped the rest of his uniform in his cloak, laying the bundle neatly across Yakul's antlers. He then slowly led the red elk through the waist-deep water that stood between the trio and the road ahead.

Noah and Finn looked at each other and shrugged.

"Well, I guess when in Rome, do as the Romans do," Noah said with an uncomfortable sigh.

"It'll be like swimming in gym class all over again," Finn remarked, in an attempt to make the situation sound less awkward, though he was quietly grinding his teeth in aggravation.

"Oh, you mean the same gym class where you did a dive off the diving board and lost your shorts to the abyss of the deep end?" Noah said, reminding Finn of why, exactly, he had such a grudge against swimming in general anymore.

"Damn it, man, three years you've had to forget that happened, and you're still badgering me with it?" Finn griped.

"If it makes you feel better, the girls in that class certainly weren't offended," Noah joked.

"They were too busy laughing at my misfortune, I'd wager," Finn grumbled.

The two boys followed Ashitaka's lead, refusing to speak or even look at each other the entire time. Noah, undressed, had an all around average build – he wasn't out of shape, but he wasn't a magazine model, either. It was something that he didn't feel was particularly important to himself. By contrast, Finn looked about like he had done time in war, with how fit he was. It surprised Noah on a regular basis that Finn didn't have girls their age flocking to him just on the merits of his physique alone, as well as making him wonder why Finn cared so much about being in crazily good health when his hobbies included sitting at a table with a character sheet and dice, and tending flowers.

 _But, then again, I get the feeling that Scottish folks are pretty proud of being buff sons of bitches. Maybe that applies to him, too?_ Noah thought to himself, recalling a trip he and his sisters had been invited on by Finn and Sammie to Dunoon, Scotland, where they witnessed Finn and his father, Brodie McDaniel, participating in the Highland games and actually doing respectably well, for being a pair of twigs by comparison to the other competitors. Neither of them won, but it was good times all around.

After bundling their clothes up – Noah shoving his under his arm in a messy wad and Finn folding his neatly and holding them over his head – the two boys finally took their first step into the frigid water. Almost immediately, Finn gasped and tensed up.

"Nobody said it would be so bloody cold!" he said, shivering.

"It's early morning. What did you expect?" Noah asked, though his voice was trembling just as badly.

The coldness of the water helped to hasten the boys' trek, if only slightly due to it being waist-depth water. On the opposite shore, in the process of redressing himself, Ashitaka watched with amusement. Yakul seemed to be enjoying the show as well, though it was hard to know for certain.

"You've not had to cross water very often, I take it?" Ashitaka asked.

"Shut up, or I'm dragging you back in," Noah shot back.

"Do you still feel the need for sleep?" Ashitaka continued, jokingly prodding at the boys' plight.

"That's a mighty good way to get yourself drowned, mate," Finn growled.

Finally, the two boys made it to the shore, and as fast as they could, they threw their clothes back on. They were still sopping wet from the waist down, but the risk of hypothermia overrode their discomfort.

"I just remembered why we don't have a pool at our house," Noah said.

"Because early morning swimming sucks?" Finn guessed.

"Enough that I seriously considered just taking the F in gym class until they told us the pool was heated," Noah confirmed.

"Heated pools? You two must be some manner of nobility to live in such opulence," Ashitaka remarked.

"No, not really. My sisters work part-time and Finn helps out at his mom's flower shop. We just go to a nice school where we come from," Noah said.

"Something I never thought I'd find myself saying, or agreeing with," Finn noted.

"My apologies... a school?" Ashitaka asked.

"Gonna go out on a limb and guess that most kids around these parts learn by being shown, and then doing," Finn said.

"Well, put simply, in our time, there's these organizations of people called teachers who take several hundred students at one time and beat the knowledge as firmly into their heads as they can within the span of a single year," Noah explained. "They usually work out of a complex of buildings called a campus, and each individual room is known as a classroom, usually specializing in one subject in particular. Though, how successful schools are is wildly dependent on how awful the students are at behaving, and how bad the teachers are at, well, teaching. Finn and I got lucky, our school is pretty good, all things considered."

Ashitaka seemed intrigued by the idea, but decided not to inquire further. Though thousands of questions ran through his mind, Noah's words from before stuck firmly with him – that he wouldn't live long enough to ever see such things, and so shouldn't concern himself with them overly much. These words especially rang true, after having heard Hi-sama herself say that they didn't hail from this time.

Ashitaka's face fell as he remembered Hi-sama's words. For a moment, his memories flashed back to home, and the happier times he recalled.

"Hey, you okay?"

Ashitaka looked up and saw Noah looking back in concern. Ashitaka's eyes briefly lingered at the somewhat amusing sight of his trousers being lopsided due to the boy having simply given up on trying to make himself look presentable with water-soaked legs hindering his efforts.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about my own home a little, that's all," the ex-prince replied.

"Guess that means we should get moving again," Finn said, forcibly hiking his jeans up to his waist the rest of the way. They were stained with water marks from the effort.

Noah gestured to Ashitaka to come along, and the three set off once more.

* * *

"Round the curs up! Don't let a single one escape!"

The village was ablaze. Horsemen charged through the houses with torches held out beside them, lighting the dry grass roofing of the huts ablaze with ease. Those who had tried to find sanctuary indoors were quickly smoked out and cut down, and those who stubbornly remained inside were buried under flaming rubble and incinerated. To those who hadn't yet been purged of their miserable lives, hell looked a great deal like a warzone.

Meanwhile, away from the carnage, the leaders of the ronin murderers sat watching the ordeal, their reserve line cackling with sadistic glee. This was an emotion not shared by one of the men.

The lieutenant, Eiji Abukara, scoffed quietly at the vulgar display. Were he not surrounded by other ex-samurai who could easily have his head, he would have set to work dismantling his "allies" with great prejudice. Unlike most of the other ronin present, Eiji had been not been disgraced by any crime of his own hands, but rather by defeat in a duel of honor against a warrior matched in strength to himself. It had been a foolish gamble made out of drunken stupor, and it had cost him everything – a lofty position as the retainer of a poweful clan, who ran him out the second they learned of his foolishness, a wife and son who left him in disgust, and his respect and dignity, now openly mocked by those who knew him, among others. He soon found himself working for filth of the lowest order, wondering how they had managed to gain the graces of any of the local nobility at all... though, the fact that it was one of the lesser lords involved in a pitiful squabble with his political opponents made it somewhat easier to understand.

It was bad enough that Eiji's blade no longer protected his lord, but rather a collective of scum. To find that it was now intended to take the lives of innocent farmers who had done nothing but be on the outer borders of another lesser lord's area of influence was near enough to make him heave.

"Why the face, Eiji?"

Eiji internally groaned as one of the mutts he now served with approached and slapped him on the back.

"This is the best entertainment we've had in a while, and you're sitting here looking like you ate a raw egg! What, are you upset that you didn't get to join the main line?" the roach guffawed.

What Eiji wanted to do was behead the man – but that would have ended with a disastrous result. So, instead, he forced what he hoped was less of a grimace and more of a grin.

"Oh, perhaps a little. It'll pass," he said.

"Ha! Always next time, right?" the ignoble wretch chortled.

 _It's truly a pity that I prefer a fair fight. Otherwise, when night fell, we'd have seen what sort of "next time" awaited you,_ Eiji thought venomously.

The ex-soldier's attention was suddenly drawn away from his "companions" and the monstrosity below, as three strange men suddenly appeared on the opposite hillside. He regretted noticing them as soon as it happened – he wasn't the lieutenant of these guttersnipes based on his merits as a soldier alone. His actions commanded the attention of his subordinates. And, unfortunately, the whelp standing beside him was smart enough to trace his line of sight.

The damnable grunt stepped away from a cringing Eiji and moved to the leaders, informing them of the unwelcome newcomers. Eiji had no way of knowing if the three men could see him from their distance, but he still mouthed the words, "I'm sorry" to them, just in case they did.

* * *

Noah, Finn and Ashitaka had seen the smoke about a mile before they had reached the village, proper. They had incorrectly identified it as a large camp, though Ashitaka had his suspicions, and now they found themselves regretting their choice to investigate.

"What the fuck are they doing?!" Noah gasped.

"What is this, a bloody massacre?!" Finn snarled.

"Is this some kind of war? Just what have we stepped into?" Ashitaka muttered, wishing to look away but too horrified to do so.

"Over there! Three more! And one with a helmet!"

Noah was faintly aware of some shouting further in, and when he looked up, he blanched white as the marauders' reserve line glared right at them, a scout pointing their way to a horse-mounted commander. Had he the time enough to notice, Noah might have seen a rather pained looking man in their rank mouthing something at them.

But, as the first arrow flew past his head, mere centimeters from cleaving his left ear in two, Noah realized that he should probably get a move on.

Noah and Finn ducked to avoid as many of the arrows as they could, while Ashitaka drew his bow and lowered himself on Yakul's back to make a smaller target. The two boys kept themselves behind the Emishi outcast, letting him bulldoze an escape route clear for them, and hoping that neither of them would get caught from behind. Ashitaka opted to stay to the road in his flight, although he quickly put Noah and Finn in his dust as he hadn't the time to stop and wait for them in the onslaught of the archers' barrage.

"We're not gonna make it out of here like this! We have to split up!" Finn shouted.

" _Split up?!_ We already almost died once against Nago, now you want to risk it against a bunch of crazy assholes?!" Noah exclaimed.

"If we stick together, we're fish in a barrel! If we split up, they'll have a harder time getting us! You've got to trust me on this one!" Finn looked desperately at Noah, all but begging him to just go with it and hope for the best.

"...Fine. Fine! But you'd better not end up dead on me for this!" Noah called, splitting away from Finn and trying to go in the opposite direction, hoping that the three would think to meet up further up the hill. He was at least able to throw off some of the archers, as their arrows pelted the ground uselessly where his feet would have been, much to the marksmen's annoyance.

"I wish I could promise that," Finn muttered, before sprinting into the treeline and pushing as deep as he could go, keeping his head down in the hail of arrows that followed him. He might not stop the foot troops, but the horses had little chance of following this way.

* * *

"They're trying to split up. Eiji, take some of the men and get the one doubling back. Godo, you make for the one who took to the trees. The rest of us will deal with that rider," one of the leaders ordered.

Eiji sighed heavily, not wanting to carry out his orders, but not having much choice, either.

"You lot, head him off! The rest of us will take to his rear flank!" Eiji ordered, gesturing to half of the group he now commanded. They charged off as directed, while the rest went the other way. Eiji lingered for just a moment, then reluctantly raced off after them.

 _This wouldn't have happened if I wasn't a keen eye,_ Eiji thought. _I'm going to cut one out as penance for this._

* * *

Ashitaka rode on, relentlessly pushing forward through the assault. He had all but forgotten the two boys who had been following him, his mind set on the goal of escaping with his life. He had chosen to stick by the road, and the fact that he was mounted meant that the flanking troops were already too far behind him, and they were none too happy about it.

As Ashitaka charged around a bend, a tree came into view, and in front of it were some of the bandits, unaware of the rider headed straight for them. One stood over a hapless woman, with his sword poised to deliver a killing blow, while his comrades stood nearby, cheering him on.

That struck a nerve.

" _Stop!_ " Ashitaka bellowed, raising his bow and pulling back an arrow.

Mere seconds before he released his shot, searing pain wracked his right arm, and worrying bulges writhed under the fabric of his dark blue sleeve. Ashitaka only noticed once his arrow was away, and his attention was quickly drawn to a horrific sight: his arrow tore the sword-wielding bandit's hands straight off of his body and pinned them to a tree, his blade still clutched in their grip. The bandit pitched over backwards, shouting in shock and agony, as his equally startled allies finally registered the threat and pulled out their own weapons to retaliate. The woman, not taking any chances, crawled to safety and stayed where she was, hoping that she would go unnoticed.

For his part, Ashitaka knew that he had placed a large target on his back, and so didn't plan on lingering. He urged Yakul to pick up the pace, and rode clear past the other two foot soldiers the swordsman had been flanked by. However, he glanced back over his shoulder and quickly saw bandit riders coming up along his right side, no doubt looking to head him off.

"I won't be stopped here," Ashitaka shouted, barely avoiding an arrow that sailed over his head. Just as quickly, he pulled out his own bow and returned fire, the pain again shooting through his arm, and once more, his arrow caused devastating damage, this time in the form of quite literally beheading one of the riders, which brought the other to pause.

"The man is a demon...!" the surviving rider gasped, as Ashitaka rode off into the thick woods. He was long gone before any other pursuers could follow.

* * *

Noah ran as fast as his legs could carry him. His intention was to get away, but his motivation, and strength, were dwindling rapidly. Each breath felt like a knife. His legs were on fire and screaming for mercy. The wind stung his eyes to the point where he could barely see, and the ashes from the burning houses did nothing to help the matter. On a normal day, Noah could easily sprint for a mile – one of his few good traits, he felt – but because his clothes were still wet from earlier, the added weight was dragging him down. Not to mention that he was running on fumes, as far as his stamina was concerned. His lack of sleep was like a ball and chain now.

 _This is absolutely asinine,_ said Noah's frantic mind. _There's no way in hell I'm making it. I can hear them coming up on my ass already, this is-_

Noah's thoughts were abruptly cut short as he looked up from his mindless charge and had to skid wildly to a stop before he crashed into a wall of bandits, all aiming their weapons at him. He had no idea where they had come from, but there they were.

"Shit-!"

Noah turned to retreat, but found himself staring down yet another wall of bandits... and one, in particular, stood out among them. Probably because his was the only sword still in its sheath. The bandit leader, Noah assumed he was, strode forward, eyes locked with his. Noah could tell by looking at him that he was a man unafraid of killing others – his face was devoid of emotion. It almost seemed like he was unaware of his allies around him, laughing menacingly at Noah's plight.

"Oh shit..." Noah whispered as the bandit leader stood before him.

The bandit leader stared at Noah for a long while, letting the reality of the boy's situation sink in. He was far taller than Noah, and considerably older as well. A carefully trimmed mustache and shot-cut beard lined his bottom jaw like the strap of a helmet. Interestingly, the man didn't look Japanese... he looked Western, but Noah couldn't place where, and couldn't fathom how a Westerner was even in Japan in this era. He guessed that it was maybe somewhere like England, what with the long braid the man wore his hair in. But none of this mattered as much as his eyes: strangely, they seemed... remorseful? Did this man regret what he was doing? What he was about to do? In Noah's terrified state, it was hard to tell. But, it really didn't matter to Noah, since his doom was nigh anyhow. The boy squinted his eyes shut, bracing himself for the inevitable as the bandit leader raised his hand to his sword's hilt.

"I am a friend."

Noah's eyes snapped open, just as the bandit leader's hand wheeled around and struck Noah in the ear. With a loud ringing pounding through his skull, and as he watched the world slowly tilt and turn dark, the man's voice – tinged with a slight Italian accent, of all things – replayed itself over and over, and Noah wondered if he had heard his quiet words correctly. But, as unconsciousness took him, he decided that it didn't really matter. At least he would finally get some sleep...

* * *

Eiji looked down at the crumpled form of the strange boy, and sighed heavily. Then, he turned back to his men.

"Why are you louts standing around? Tie him up! We're done with this miserable little village. We've no reason to stay," he barked.

"What, we're not gonna finish him off?" The foul tattler who had set the mess in motion seemed confused.

"Weren't you the one saying that we were lacking in entertainment?" Eiji questioned, walking away before hearing the answer. The other bandits seemed to accept this gleefully, as they set to work binding Noah's arms and legs. Eiji didn't stick around to watch, nor was he about to offer his help... he was already disgusted enough with his act for one day. Besides, their end of the bargain with their employer had been fulfilled. The job was done, and Eiji was more than ready to rid himself of the smoldering remains of this particular massacre.

And that wasn't all he was going to rid himself of.

* * *

 _Yes, Eiji is Italian. No, Eiji Abukara obviously isn't his real name. I'll go into deeper detail about it in the next chapter. But before anybody goes off the rails about it, let me clarify that:_

 _1\. Samurai in Japanese history are so numerous that it's impossible to say how many there were, or what their origins were. In fact, some samurai weren't even Japanese at all, as evidenced by an Englishman, William Adams, and a number of Frenchmen, namely Jules Brunet, Henri Nicol and Eugene Collache. I also saw mention of a Scottish samurai during my pre-writing research, so I could even go that direction with Finn if I feel like it'll add anything to the story. Yes, these were folks who came along way later down the line, but the fact that it happened at all opens the door for folks like me to ask "what if?", and thus, shit like this is the result._

 _2\. Though foreigners are more widely documented at later points in history, it's still possible that there were foreigners in lesser numbers who managed to fly under history's radar, which is how I'm excusing Eiji being here in spite of the fact that the Muromachi period probably didn't see much in the way of contact with European or English territories. In fact, it seems like it was mainly China, and only China, at that time. But, again, because trade with China was such a big deal, it could be that other smaller groups of people simply went unnoticed by historians, because they led considerably quieter lives or managed to get out of Japan and find their way back home._

 _Plus, so far I have cellphones perpetually stuck at 50% battery charge which can make long-distance calls through time, and a force of nature that sometimes just kidnaps idiots and spits them out where-the-hell-ever. Are you really gonna hassle me over what is easily the single most likely thing that could happen in this story, so far? It's your prerogative if you do, don't get me wrong, but that's gonna raise some serious questions about your priorities regarding accuracy in storytelling if you do, just to let you know._


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven - A** **lleati di un Tempo**

* * *

Noah was rudely awakened by an acute feeling of coldness, and a frightening sensation of being unable to breathe. He tried to gasp for air, but all that entered was water. His gag reflex was triggered, and the boy fell into a coughing fit. As he came to his senses and gradually calmed down enough to take a few deep breaths, he realized that there were voices laughing. A lot of them. And it seemed that they were laughing at him.

When Noah finally looked up, he saw that he was trapped inside a rudimentary cage, which stood between him and the sneering faces of his captors – the very bandits he had tried to escape from earlier. Noah's fear returned to him, as he looked around wildly from face to face, seeing only more bandits no matter which direction he turned.

Then his eyes fell upon the bandit leader from before. He looked just as emotionless as the last time they had met. He stood completely still, gazing down at Noah, seemingly unaware, or perhaps uninterested, in the hooting and hollering of his allies around him. Noah noticed that he was the one who had dumped the water on him, as he still held the water-stained bucket in his hands.

"He's awake. Send for our master," the bandit leader commanded. One of the grunts beside him nodded and disappeared into the crowd. A few seconds later, the jeering quieted as the grunt returned with two more bandit leaders, and a man perhaps twenty years older than Noah's father, garbed in expensive clothing and glaring disdainfully at his minions' prisoner.

"This is what I am to see? A rodent who survived his nest's purging?" The man, Noah assumed a nobleman, scoffed. "Why is this important? Stamp him out like the rest of his misbegotten kin and be done with it."

"My lord, he is not one of the villagers," the emotionless bandit leader said. Noah recognized his voice, but couldn't quite recall from where. It seemed recent, though, as his blurry memories focused in on the village massacre.

"So then he is a spy? For Shiba, no doubt," the nobleman sighed, an annoyed grimace marring his face. Turning to the emotionless bandit, he said, "He likely wasn't acting alone. And as you only apprehended him, I assume his allies got away. You will find out what he knows, and where the others are retreating to, and then you are to hunt them down and be rid of them. The Shiba Clan must _not_ learn of our actions here."

"It will be done, Lord Noboru," one of the other bandit leaders replied. From the looks of him, Noah guessed he was the one in charge of the others – he was the only one who wore proper armor. The rest were in various stages of undress, or only had scraps of metal strapped over their clothing.

Lord Noboru, the nobleman, quietly took his leave, not even acknowledging the bandits around him as he gracefully strode back through the crowd to a guarded convoy. He got into one of the carriages, and his entourage switfly removed their master from the presence of the unsightly barbarians. When he was certain the convoy was gone, the bandit commander turned and glared down at Noah, then looked to the emotionless leader beside him.

"He's your catch, Eiji. Do as you see fit, but get those answers out of him. There's no telling how far the other spies have gotten, so we don't have much time to spare," the commander ordered.

"I'll get the job done. Leave me alone with him. I'll have him singing like a bird by dawn," the bandit leader, Eiji, said.

"Forget birds, I want him singing sweeter than a whore. Noboru'll have our heads if Shiba gets word of what happened in that little village," the commander growled, and with a curt nod of his head, he and the rest of the bandits departed.

For a time, Eiji continued to stare unflinchingly at Noah, unnerving the boy with each second. But when the bandits were far enough away, he suddenly dropped to his knees, and his face lit up with emotion for the first time since his and Noah's meeting.

"Listen to me, and listen closely. I'll only say this once: By nightfall, I intend to burn this wretched hive. I know that you're no spy. You don't look the part, and you made a poor showing of escaping the clutches of these fiends. Whoever you are, you don't need to be involved in this treachery. I can get you out of here, but I need you to act your part until then. Understand?" Eiji looked sternly at Noah, waiting for his response.

"Wha... what? What are you-? Who iare/i you?!" Noah demanded.

"I told you before – I'm a friend. This haven of scum is beneath me. I don't belong here, and neither do you. Now, ido you understand me?/i" Eiji leaned closer to the boy and spoke slowly, with exaggerated emphasis on each word.

 _"_ _I'm a friend."_ These words rang through Noah's mind like a bell, and his memory suddenly cleared, recalling that he had heard Eiji speak to him shortly before he had fallen unconscious. He remembered Eiji looking regretful. He even remembered seeing Eiji mouthing something at him earlier before the bandits attacked him, Finn and Ashitaka...

Finn and Ashitaka.

Noah's mind finally registered that he was alone. Finn had escaped, or was at least trying to. Ashitaka had split and left a trail of bodies in his wake. Noah was the only one who got caught. He was separated from his friends, and the realization dawned on him that he needed help more than ever if he wanted to escape. Eiji was perhaps his only chance at achieving this goal.

"...Alright. I understand," Noah said.

Eiji nodded silently. "I'm afraid that's where this conversation will have to end. My orders are to beat answers out of you that you don't have, and they expect screaming. You're not going to like me for the next few hours..."

"That's fine. You nearly drowned me a few minutes ago. I already don't like you," Noah replied.

"A bucket of cold water will seem like paradise compared to what is about to transpire," Eiji said in a monotonous tone.

Noah felt a shiver go down his spine. This was going to be a long night...

* * *

Finn laid low to the ground, the leaves of a large bush obscuring his silhouette just enough for two bandits to not notice him as they slowly stalked past, swords at the ready, scanning the area for their target. As Finn had predicted, the horsemen hadn't been able to get through the thick foliage, and so their riders had abandoned them to continue the search. There had been about six pursuers, and Finn could only assume that the rest were nearby, so he had to be careful of his movements.

All Finn had was his sword. It was probably for the best – the crossbow took time to reload, and even though Finn had practiced reloading crossbows quickly for years, his pursuers were too close. Even he couldn't beat a swordsman in a race of that manner. However practiced he was, the bandits had probably used their own weapons countless times more. Finn was no fool, he knew that these bandits were once samurai. Their lives were once built around warfare. Finn's life was built around fantasies and flower tending. It would be of little contest in a head-on fight.

 _What I wouldn't give for the ability to turn invisible right now,_ Finn thought.

As the two bandits slowly moved further out of sight, Finn risked a peek into the open to see how far away they were. When he saw that they had actually put some ground between him and them, he quietly crawled out into the open, and moved briskly on all fours like a monkey over behind a nearby tree. Once there, he took a moment to think:

His objective was to either find Ashitaka, or some kind of safe haven. The area where the trio had stumbled upon the village was cut back fairly evenly, and it was somewhat bowl-shaped. Finn used the village as his due north point, so that he could maintain his internal compass. From the movie, he recalled that Ashitaka had rode west of where the trio had arrived. Finn had followed Noah east for a short time, then cut straight back south of their arrival for about a mile or so. In order to link up with him, Finn would need to get back to the footpath that Ashitaka had taken. This, of course, meant running the risk of meeting the bandits again, but Finn had heard the area go silent not long after he took to the trees – his senses had honed in during his adrenaline rush, so he was able to pick up on the smaller details easier. The fact that only six men had sought to pursue him also indicated that they were alone. That, or they had some archers posted on the road, just in case.

In short, it was a gamble. And one he had to take slowly, thanks to the hunters who were looking for him. And if that gamble turned out to be wrong, Finn was looking at an early and painful demise. But sitting around doing nothing didn't help him either. It wasn't like the patrols weren't going to double back at some point.

Finn did have his sword. He thought for a moment about silently eliminating the threat. But then he realized that he had never taken a human life before, and was more than happy to let Ashitaka have the credit for felling Nago if it meant not having to think about it ever again. And besides that, even if he was able to take out one, he didn't have any kind of training that would allow for him to do so silently. Plus, managing a silent kill would still run the risk of the others doubling back on their patrols and discovering the body later, which would only succeed in putting them on even higher alert than they were.

Breathing slowly and quietly, Finn dropped to his stomach and crawled back into the foliage ahead of him. So far, the brush had kept him well hidden. He figured it was his best bet of getting back to the road without conflict. That, and another bandit was coming up on his left. Finn let him pass by, but was putting serious thought to clubbing the man unconscious. He needed some kind of freedom to move, and he wasn't going to get that by having to duck into a bush every time a twig snapped wrong. But, again, taking the man down ran the considerable risk of biting Finn in the ass later.

 _...Fuck it all,_ Finn thought.

The bandit was shocked when Finn suddenly sprang from the bushes at him. Though his hand was on his sword, he hadn't the time to draw it before his quarry was too close, and so had to settle for grappling. Not that it did him much good, as Finn was already right up in his defenses. He grabbed both the bandit's wrists and dragged him forward into a vicious headbutt, sending the stunned bandit straight to his back. One hard kick to the face knocked the bandit out cold... but for good measure, Finn found a large rock and threw it at the bandit's head as hard as he could. Finn winced as he heard the rock cave a portion of the man's skull in, then hastily undid the man's sword from his waist, claiming it for himself, and sprinted in the general direction of the road, not wanting to be around when the other five bandits inevitably found their friend beaten, bloodied, and probably permanently brain-damaged.

As he made his mad dash through the trees, Finn's senses again honed in as another surge of adrenaline hit him. He didn't hear anybody or anything that he shouldn't have, which was admittedly what he was hoping for. It meant the other five bandits were too spread out to hear the scuffle their friend just went through. Finn took that as his cue to keep running, and did so until he was too out of breath to continue on.

"Christ," Finn gasped to himself when he finally came to a stop, "I can't believe I'm even in this mess... but at least I'm clear for now."

Finn noted that he must have cut westward from where he was, rather than north towards the road, because the trees had gotten darker rather than thinning out. But, so long as he was out of the current sphere of danger, he was fine with taking the detour. Now with a moment of peace, Finn examined the sword that he had swiped off the unconscious bandit. It had been a spur of the moment action that Finn guessed was his attempt to make sure that the other bandits wouldn't have access to the weapon, even though they had their own. Either that, or he felt that a second sword might somehow come in handy. Though, Finn did note that it was a rather fine specimen of a katana, at least as far as the scabbard indicated, and was probably custom-forged back in the man's samurai days.

"That doesn't belong to you."

Finn felt as though his skeleton had just jumped straight out of his skin, and as he turned to see who had spoken, a sharp pain in his neck brought him to his knees. The katana fell to the ground beside him, his hand having gone limp from the sudden crippling strike. As if on cue, two pairs of feet walked up in front of him, and a hand clad in armor reached down and retrieved the weapon. Finn followed it up to the one who it belonged to, and noticed a pair of peculiarly dressed individuals standing there. They were both covered from head to toe, tight-fitting hoods and Oni-faced masks making it impossible to see their faces. They wore armor that Finn could have sworn was used by samurai, but rather than the full ensemble, the two only wore the pieces that were absolutely vital – chestguards, vambraces, pauldrons, greaves. Their uniforms were colored with the greens, browns and greys of the forest around them, and the only visible weaponry Finn could see on their persons were the swords they had fastened to their belts, but a closer inspection would find that the loose folds of their jackets concealed what looked to be black eggs and shuriken.

"Shinobi" was the first word that went through Finn's mind. Ninjas. Not well documented by history, as was likely their intent, and yet Finn had grown sick of the word back home because of the popularity of iNaruto/i, and just the general association with ninjas being the penultimate badasses of the past, even though he could count on both hands the number of similar groups that he found to be much more deserving of such praise. Now finding himself at their mercy, he suddenly learned to fear the word. By the looks of them, these two weren't dispatched for any espionage mission. Otherwise, Finn probably wouldn't have been able to place them apart from regular villagers, if what he had read was to be believed.

"This sword bears the markings of the Nikuji clan. Whoever was this blade's master was likely one of their guards. Looks a bit worn, though – like it hasn't seen maintenance in a while. Guess that means the man met with ill fortune," the shinobi holding the katana mused.

"Of course, it could easily be that you stole this blade. That's why you're on the run, isn't it?" Though Finn couldn't tell, he guessed that the second shinobi was giving him one hell of a death stare behind his mask.

For a short while, Finn was at a complete loss for words. But, then his brain kicked in, and he realized that his silence was speaking quite loudly.

"No... I-I'm not running because of... of any theft," the boy stammered, grunting slightly through each word, as he was still trying to convince his entire body that it wasn't broken. He absently noted that his neck was incredibly sore.

"Oh? Then might you have come from the village?" The first shinobi fastened the stolen sword to his back, looking intently at Finn.

"S-sort of?" Finn replied. "I was traveling with a friend of mine, and a guide. We're not from here. We came to the village and saw it under attack by a bunch of bandits, and then they saw us and started coming our way. We had to split up, and I went this way. That sword came off of one of the bandits that was after me. I didn't want him to have it when he woke up."

The two shinobi didn't even flinch at Finn's explanation.

"...Mate, I'm just trying to stay alive, here," Finn said.

The shinobi were silent for a moment. Then, the second one spoke.

"The woman was right. The village was attacked. Noboru's made a move."

Finn blinked once, not understanding what was said.

"We... serve a certain individual. They have a vested interest in the village. A woman came to our master and told of what had transpired. She was in a bad way, so our master dispatched us to investigate the veracity of her claims," the second shinobi explained. He was careful to properly dance around any specific details.

"Why tell him this? Our mission is secret," the first shinobi said.

"Does he look like a spy to you? He can barely even keep his composure," the second replied.

"He's armed. He was present when the village was attacked. He just so happened to have a sword belonging to a soldier from a noble house. It could very well be a ruse," the first argued.

"Not with that look, it couldn't," the second said, gesturing to the sheer terror that practically radiated from Finn's face. "Besides, he said he doesn't hail from these lands. The accent in his voice is proof enough of those claims. Perhaps swords have another meaning where he comes from? In any event, I doubt he'll be any hindrance to us."

"Look, I don't care why you're here! I have my own issues to deal with! There's five other bandits who are probably coming after me right now because I fucked up their friend and nicked his sword!" Finn exclaimed.

"Settle down." the second shinobi sent Finn a warning look.

"I'm... I'm sorry. I just need to know if I'm good to go or not so that I can find some hole to hide in or something," Finn said. "You can keep the sword, I don't need it. Wouldn't do me much good anyhow."

The second shinobi looked to the first. The first sighed heavily.

"Don't. I already know what you'll say. And I already know there's no point in trying to argue." the first Shinobi undid the sword from his back and handed it to his companion. "Take the boy to our master. See if he'll grant him shelter. The rest of us can continue this mission without you."

Finn looked at the two shinobi, utterly stunned. "You... what?"

"He's always been a soft heart for sob stories like yours," the first shinobi said. "Our master is a generous individual. If it's shelter you seek, he may be willing to provide. Of course, it comes with a price."

"We'll let the master decide what that is," the second shinobi interjected. "Come. I'll lead you there. You've no need to fear any bandits this way."

Finn shakily got to his feet and stood silently for a moment. He could hardly believe what had just happened – either he had found the most charitable, or most incompetent shinobi of the trade, that they were so willing to take him at his word. While it was most certainly the truth, Finn had thought that he would have to jump through hoops to prove himself. But then, as he followed the second shinobi through the forest, a realization hit him – the first one had said, "the rest of us." Perhaps the reason they were so willing to let his claims slide was simply because they had brought enough backup to deal with him if he decided to do something stupid?

Suddenly, Finn felt rather self-conscious in his surroundings...

* * *

After several hours of riding, Ashitaka finally felt safe enough to take a break. He gently guided Yakul to a stop in the middle of a thick patch of trees and dismounted, allowing his companion to rest as he, himself, fell to his backside in exhaustion. He had no idea what had become of Finn and Noah, or where he had lost them. Were it not for the fact that the village was likely still being raided, he would have gone back to try and find them.

"...I suppose the only thing I can do now is hope they'll be able to catch up, wherever they are," he muttered to himself. "I'm sure they'll be coming this way at some point. After all, they have business in the west as well. They would have to."

Ashitaka winced as his arm suddenly seized in pain. A quick glance at his arm showed that the cursed tentacles that had been writhing under his sleeve had finally subsided, but had been replaced with a burning pain unlike any other. Thankfully, he had stopped near a small stream running from the rocks beside him, and so he moved closer and pulled back his sleeve. He nearly choked when he saw that his arm was about three shades more purple than when he had set out.

"The wound is getting darker... Will I be able to make it to the west before this curse takes me?" the ex-prince wondered, running his arm under the stream. Despite its frigid temperature, as soon as the water hit his skin, it immediately evaporated into steam. A few more minutes of this, and Ashitaka finally gave up on trying to cool the burning sensation in his arm. He was just wasting precious time that he possibly didn't have, sitting around as he was.

Yakul groaned as his rider stood back up. Ashitaka patted his side gently.

"I know, you're tired, too. But we have to continue on," Ashitaka said quietly.

Yakul looked at his rider and seemed to indicate his understanding, though it was difficult to tell for certain. Ashitaka climbed back onto the red elk's back, and, reluctantly, the pair set themselves to moving again. Even finding civilization would be a welcome relief at this point, outweighing Ashitaka's trepidation toward the thought.

* * *

Noah hit the ground hard, and protectively curled himself into a shaky ball. His eyes clenched shut as hard as they could, tears streaming down his bruised and reddened face. He tried desperately to breathe, but his lungs didn't seem to work anymore – to say nothing about the knife-like pain in his sternum whenever he moved. He did eventually find the air enough to start coughing, and blood splattered the ground beside him.

Eiji stood over the boy, wiping his hands clean of the blood he had just spilled. Each strike he landed against his poor ally made him offer another prayer of forgiveness to whichever gods still believed he was genuine in his pleas... probably not many, at this point. After all, he had been relentlessly whipping Noah for the last number of hours. The sun was beginning to set, where it had only just risen when Noah had first been captured. Eiji wouldn't blame her if the great Amaterasu, herself, appeared before him and struck him down.

"Take a moment to recover. We still have more of this act to play before we can make our move," Eiji said.

"F-fuck... fuck... you!" Noah gasped, glaring daggers at the man. His eyes were bloodshot from the crying he had been doing, nearly nonstop.

"Indeed," Eiji sighed sadly. "Just as a reminder, neither of us want this. But, it's this, or neither of us escape."

"I fu- I fucking know... ass... wipe," Noah wheezed, dragging himself weakly back up to his hands and knees. His arms trembled, just barely keeping him from eating the dirt again. Sweat was literally dripping from just about every inch of his body, and blood leaked from his mouth in a steady trickle. Though Eiji had said he would try not to, Noah was fairly certain he had knocked a tooth down his throat.

Eiji allowed the boy a few more seconds to breathe, and as Noah rose to his knees, he asked, "Are you prepared for another round?"

Noah sighed long, heavy, and painfully, but forced himself to nod his head. "Just... could you make sure that I black out, this time?"

"My orders were to make you scream. Rendering you unconscious wouldn't do, I'm afraid," Eiji replied.

"Oh, just fucking hit me already, you pasta-loving bastard," Noah groaned.

Eiji shrugged reluctantly, but complied, throwing a brutal right hook into Noah's battered cheek. The impact sent the boy flying back to the dirt, face-first. For added effect, Eiji grabbed Noah by the shirt, hefted him roughly to his feet, then turned and dragged his face into the equally damaged bamboo bars of the cage Noah had been confined in. The boy's head bounced back so hard, the disgraced samurai feared he might have snapped his neck, until Noah cried out in pain again. Much as he hated performing this vile act, Eiji had to hand it to the outlander – he was a sturdy one.

Eiji released Noah from his grasp, and the boy crumpled limply to the ground before pulling his knees up to his chest and whimpering quietly. One hand reached out and weakly clutched a bar of the cage, as though it would offer some respite from the abuse.

 _Of all days for time to move slowly, it had to be one of the worst of my life,_ Eiji thought bitterly. _Well, at least those filthy mutts won't see me for a liar after this..._

"...H-hey," Noah whispered.

Eiji glanced down at him, confused by this comment. He had expected another fiery slough of insults, but this sounded downright conversational... putting aside Noah's struggles to speak, of course.

"W-where... where do you... really come from?" Noah asked.

"I hardly think this is the time for reminiscing on the past," Eiji said.

"Like I... give a fuck," Noah grunted. "You've just spent... the better part of... a fucking _day_... beating me shitless. I think I deserve... _something_ for that."

Eiji considered this for a moment, and decided that he agreed. It would give him a chance to take his mind off of what he was doing for a little while, at the very least.

"You've a keen eye, friend. I was not always Eiji Abukara, nor was I always bandit filth. Once upon a time, I would have come through camps such as these with a platoon of men and slaughtered the lot of these cowards," Eiji said.

"You were a... samurai?" Noah inquired, beginning to breathe a little better now.

"And before that, a fisherman from Venezia," Eiji replied.

"I had a feeling you were Italian," Noah remarked.

"Yes, I gathered as such from some of the... colorful things you called me," Eiji snorted. "And for your information, I actually detest pasta."

"...Wait, what? Okay, I think I'm getting a better picture of how you wound up here," Noah said.

"Oh please. I wound up here thanks to a shipwreck, not because I was exiled for my tastes." Eiji looked up at the trees as happier memories came to him. "Once upon a time, my name was Domenico. I was the son of a sailor and a seamstress. I took up fishing when I left home – it was an easy job to find. Venice floats on the water, after all."

"Yeah, and you have to get around by gondolas, right?" Noah added.

"You've been?" Eiji asked.

"No. I just read about that somewhere," Noah admitted. "I'd like to go sometime, though. I hear it's nice."

"It is dank, smells of salt and rotten fish carcasses, people are sick everywhere you turn, moving too quickly runs the risk of you slipping off the streets and looking a fool to your peers, and God forbid you be discovered to be a Jew or wander too close to a den of thieves, because you're quite likely to be robbed of all you own and drowned," Eiji said flatly.

"...Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine," Noah muttered.

"That said, the area of Venezia that I lived in _was_ one of the nicer places. It was a popular area for artists, and was relatively close by to the Doge's palazzo, so it wasn't uncommon for nobles to be found there. I presume they whined enough about the place that someone finally decided to clean up around there just to shut their mouths," Eiji continued.

"The way you put it, it doesn't _sound_ that great," Noah said. "It sounds like the only reason it's as nice as you remember is because someone's panties got twisted into such a knot that they couldn't sit down."

Eiji sputtered as he tried and failed to keep himself from laughing. He barely manged to remember to do so quietly, so that his "fellow" bandits wouldn't overhear him.

"I suppose my years living here have jaded me somewhat. The country here in Nihon is rather charming," he mused.

"You see one tree, you've seen all of them," Noah said with noticeable disenchantment.

"Why, I would almost venture to say that you don't like it here," Eiji chuckled.

"I wonder where you would get that idea," Noah sneered.

"...In any event, as I said, I wound up shipwrecked here. Got a little adventurous streak in me one day, so I decided to sail to Arabia and traverse the Red Sea, just so I could see what was beyond it. Sailed myself right into a damned hurricane. The waves were still crashing down on me long after my ship had been shattered into pieces." Eiji grimaced. Recanting that particular detail was something of a sore spot for him.

"I must have drifted for a number of days before finally reaching the shore. When I came to, I was in some tiny village. I don't know how I survived. I can only guess it was by some manner of miracle. Didn't help me with understanding what the locals were saying, but at least I was alive. By that point, I hardly cared about much else."

Noah listened intently. Eiji took his silence as permission to continue.

"It didn't take me long to resign myself to my fate. I don't even know where this land is on the map, much less where Italia is in relation to it. Figured I could probably make a simple life for myself here. Maybe get back into fishing, since I made a decent living off of it. But about a week into my efforts, the village that had been helping me get back on my feet got attacked by a group of savage brutes looking for some foul entertainment for themselves.

"I don't quite remember where I found it, but I stumbled across a sickle, and by then, I was so angry that I used it to kill all of those men myself. As it happened, a squadron of samurai were patrolling the area, and this village happened to be within their perimeter, so they rushed in to finish the filth off themselves, saw me taking care of it... then promptly arrested me for having a weapon once the threat was dealt with. Apparently, being armed was something that only they were allowed to do.

"But after three days of incarceration, I was approached by the Daimyo who employed them, and he gave the order for me to be made into one of them. And, many years later, Domenico was dead and gone, and Eiji Abukara was happily married, with a son of his own, and countless tales of victorious battles to tell that starry-eyed child. He loved those stories."

Eiji winced as he remembered his wife and son. Suddenly, his mind snapped back to the present.

"...And then things happened, I became a bandit, and here we are. Now, enough talking. We still have a long while before the night comes, and we've already wasted too much time talking about me," Eiji snapped.

"What? Oh... right, that," Noah muttered as he also came back to reality, and the fear of the beatings soon to come surged through him.

"Tell you what – I think, at this point, that knocking you out would be rather believable on my part," Eiji said.

"Wait, but I thought-"

The last thing Noah saw was Eiji's fist slamming right into the bridge of his nose, and then the world went dark again.

Eiji stood over the boy, laid out spread-eagle from the punch.

 _So did I, and then you had to go and reopen old wounds._

* * *

 _As far as Google Translate would have me believe, "alleati di un tempo" means "erstwhile allies" in Italian, so unless and until someone calls me out for being a stupid shithead for it, that's what we're going with._

 _Alternate titles for this chapter include, "Zyri Revels In Noah's Suffering," "Eiji's Past Is Super Tragic Gaiz," and "Finn's Probably Gonna Be A Ninja Or Some Shit."_

 _By the way, no, the ruling authority of Venice was not much noble, very leader. Pronunciation tends to bounce around, depending on who says it, but Wikipedia says that the word itself translates to "Duke," or is one of a few words that do, in any event._

 _So, the reason this chapter took me, like, three months to complete, is because I wrote myself into a corner on accident with that village attack from last chapter. On the one hand, it's canonical, but on the other, I made it go in such a way that I suddenly needed to bullshit some excuse for Noah and Finn to have to meet back up with Ashitaka down the road. And now, I need to think up some other excuse for how they're going to link up with Ashitaka before the aftermath of the ambush along the mountain path,_ _so that's gonna be fun._

 _Also, remember that thing I said about how I could make Finn a samurai if I so chose, and it would still be among the more logical happenings in this fic? Weeell, I probably won't do that, because samurai training is way too long for it to make sense with this fic's timeline, but I might end up giving him and Noah different wardrobes to fit their respective scenarios. So, you know, if Finn suddenly shows up in a kimono and Noah's wearing bits and pieces of armor that don't fit right, you know who to blame._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight – Lord Shiba**

* * *

Finn sat in uncomfortable silence in a luxurious guest room. He had finally arrived with his shinobi "friend" (a word he used with much hesitation, given that the shinobi was probably only being cordial unless given some reason to behave otherwise) at the manor of Lord Hirotsugu Shiba not long after sunset, but as the master of the home was not present at the time of their arrival, they were directed to await his return. And, in Finn's opinion, he was taking way too long.

...This was, perhaps, not helped by the fact that the shinobi who guided him was sitting across from him, right in front of the room's door, staring the boy down as if waiting for him to try something foolish.

A very brief conversation between the two revealed to Finn that he went by the name Hebi, and as far as it concerned Finn, that was his only name. Finn was content to leave the matter be, as it really wasn't worth a dagger in the throat over trying to get Hebi to be more sociable. Though he had been the so-called "soft heart" that vouched for Finn's innocence back in the forest, it seemed that the journey to the manor had given him time to reconsider his stance, and was suddenly much less friendly towards Finn. Not that he really had been before, of course.

The two continued to stare at each other in heavy, uncomfortable silence. Finn shifted about nervously, whereas Hebi sat stock-still, almost as if he weren't breathing.

"Um... does... does Lord Shiba usually go out for long periods like this?" Finn asked tentatively.

"Lord Shiba's business is his own. It's not my place to question it," Hebi replied tersely. "He will return on his own time, not yours."

"No, no, I get that, I was just... trying to make small talk, that's all," Finn said.

"We've nothing to discuss," Hebi said, his words blunt like a hammer.

Finn shrugged in defeat and laid rigidly back against the wall.

"...Actually, that may not be entirely true," Hebi relented. "I am curious as to where you hail from. I've never heard a voice like yours before."

"Well... you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine?" Finn suggested.

"No," Hebi rebuffed.

"Had a feeling you'd say that," Finn muttered. "Fine, then, I guess it really doesn't hurt me any. I'm from a country known as Scotland."

"I've never heard of this place," Hebi remarked.

"Well, I honestly have no idea how to even begin explaining what it's like to you," Finn said. "It certainly doesn't look anything like this country, I can at least say that much."

"Does everyone in this 'Scotland' speak like you do?" Hebi asked.

"Sort of. It depends on which part of the country you're in," Finn replied. "Course, I guess that goes for any country, really."

"The sword you carried with you looked nothing like any blade I have ever seen. Is it one of your Scotland weapons?" Hebi pressed.

"That? No, I don't actually know where it was forged. I just bought it because it looked nice, didn't even expect to be using it," Finn admitted.

"So you're not even a real warrior? I guess that would explain why you would steal the weapon off another man's body," Hebi scoffed.

"I might remind you that he was a bandit, sir," Finn said in his own defense. "He'd have probably done the same to me if I hadn't gotten to him first."

"And this excuses you?" If Hebi's face weren't obscured, undoubtedly, it would have been twisted in disdain.

Finn opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again. Hebi actually had a good point – he still didn't know why he had taken that sword. He had left the man it belonged to in a state where he would likely never wield it again, whether he still had it on his person or not. And if the discussion between Hebi and the other shinobi from before was any indicator, that man once had a career as a samurai. A career that likely ended in a messy and embarrassing fashion, to have found himself in the ranks of bandits. That sword was probably the physical manifestation of whatever was left of his dignity, for what Finn knew.

"Now, what is this about buying your sword? Are blades really of such cheap value where you hail from that they can be priced for the market?" Hebi inquired, though his tone suggested that he was rather offended by the idea.

"Uh... You know, I don't have a good answer for that," Finn replied. Due to all the commotion of the past few hours, he had forgotten that Feudal Japan had an attitude of mysticism about swords: The sword was the soul of the wielder; an extension of the warrior, himself. It hadn't occurred to Finn just how insulting buying a sword would sound to someone who held firm to such a belief.

Hebi grunted. "This Scotland of yours doesn't sound very civilized to me, if that's how they think."

"To be fair, I did say that my sword wasn't forged there. I bought it from someone in Germany, I think," Finn said. "Not that this makes the matter any less terrible, of course..."

"I haven't heard of this 'Germany' before," Hebi remarked.

"You've got me there. I couldn't even tell you what that place is like," Finn chuckled.

Hebi was quiet for a moment, long enough that Finn began to feel rather awkward. Then, he asked, "So what was it that brought you to this place?"

"Well, I certainly didn't wash up here from the sea, I can tell you that much," Finn replied. "Actually, to be honest with you, I'm still trying to figure out how I got here, myself. One minute, I'm at home, and the next, an earthquake knocks me off my feet, I black out, and when I come to, I'm here, and find out that one of my closest friends got brought along for the ride."

"A ludicrous tale," Hebi said.

"The only one I've got," Finn shot back.

At that moment, a voice came through the door: "Hebi, bring the master's guest. Lord Shiba has returned, and is eager to speak with him."

"Understood," Hebi called back, getting to his feet.

"Wow, time went by fast all of a sudden," Finn mused.

"Remember, you are here with information regarding the bandits that attacked Lord Shiba's borders. This is not a casual meeting," Hebi reminded Finn.

"I know why I'm here. I'll behave myself," Finn replied.

* * *

Lord Shiba sat serenely across a large kotatsu from Finn, a cup of tea held gently in his hands. He raised a brow curiously at his guest, who seemed quite unnerved.

"You are more than welcome to make yourself comfortable," Shiba offered amicably.

Finn glanced nervously about the room. Shiba was flanked by two of his personal samurai, and each of the four doors was manned by an additional two. Finn had little trouble believing that a small army lied in wait on the other side. Furthermore, Hebi was sitting right beside him, and given his profession, Finn couldn't help but wonder what manner of poison had been slipped into his cup when he wasn't looking.

"...You are very generous, my lord, but I'm quite alright," Finn said weakly.

"It's not the cushions, is it? I admit, they do feel somewhat more firm than usual," Shiba said.

"Uh... n-no, my lord," Finn replied.

"Ah, then your tea might be a touch too hot for you? I understand completely," Shiba guessed again, with a friendly chuckle.

"That's... not it, either, your excellency," Finn said. In his mind, he was wondering if Shiba was acting oblivious on purpose, or if he honestly didn't understand how intimidating it was to be glared at from all sides by soldiers.

"It could very well be those clothes of yours, then. You look as though someone threw you down a hill," Shiba remarked.

Hebi coughed.

"Ah, yes. I nearly forgot. You say you witnessed an attack by bandits within my borders?" Shiba inquired.

"Yes, sir. I was traveling with a close friend, and a native of the area was acting as our guide. We were trying to make our way westward, towards Irontown," Finn explained.

"What business could you possibly have there?" Shiba wondered. "From what I hear, that hovel is little better than a rat's nest. Well, a rat's nest with fortified walls and enough gunpowder to level a mountain. And the so-called 'lady' who leads them is... unpleasant, and that is as politely as I can speak of her."

"Irontown also sits upon an island in the middle of a lake, deep within a thick, dark forest that even I would think twice before traversing," Hebi noted. "Don't misunderstand, I have no fear of shadows, but I am wary of beasts. I don't put much stock in stories, but if what I've heard is true, a wolf in that forest could stand as tall as a man, have the ferocity of ten, and not even be the alpha of its pack. That such creatures could possibly attack at any given moment is enough to bring me to pause."

"Yes, that, as well. Eboshi certainly picked a good place to build her forces. If those tales are true, it would cost more just to _send_ soldiers to Irontown than it would to actually do battle. I'm content to let the evils that lie within the forest be their enemies," Shiba said.

"Well, my friend and I were informed that there might be some way to get us back home in the west. We don't hail from this land, and were brought here by an incident that I don't completely understand. That we might have need to cross through Irontown is our only reason for going there," Finn said.

"So you came here by some manner of divine meddling? Then the only explanation for there possibly being a solution in the west is those stories I've heard of the gods who inhabit that forest," Shiba replied.

"Supposedly, some of the great beasts who reside within the forest are, in fact, mortal manifestations of gods, presiding over the sanctity of the forest and raining down their wrath against any who would seek to defile it. Whether they're willing to help you is another matter," Hebi said. "It seems these gods, if they truly exist, are more content to bring suffering upon anyone foolish enough to traipse through their forest uninvited, thanks in no small part to Eboshi's presence."

"I suppose, if your journey must take you there, such shall be your challenge to endure. For now, the village. Was it already under attack when you arrived, or did you precede it?" Shiba asked Finn.

"We arrived in time to see most of the damage already done," Finn replied. "There had to have been at least thirty bandits. Maybe more. I, uh, didn't really have time to take a proper count before their archers spotted us and opened fire. Once that happened, my friend, our guide and I all fled in different directions. I took to cover in the forest, so that the ones on horseback couldn't follow me. I'm confident that our guide escaped – hell, he cut a path straight through them – but I don't even know what happened to my friend, and I only barely made it out myself."

"We found him later on, and he had this sword in his possession," Hebi added, offering the stolen katana across the kotatsu to his master. Shiba motioned for one of his bodyguards to take the blade, and the one on the right stepped forward and drew the sword from its sheath, looking it over carefully.

"This blade is of far better quality than any mere bandit would have access to," he reported. "I recognize the smith's work. This weapon was crafted by Akinobu. He hails from Shikoku. He was the same smith who forged my own sword." With this, he slid the sword back into its sheath, and Hebi laid it gently on the kotatsu.

"Then, might you know who its owner was?" Shiba asked.

"A man I once called my friend. He and I once served the Shogunate, before he turned traitor and attempted to murder one of the bakufu. He failed, of course, but escaped with his life, which cost me my honor, as I failed to strike him down when I had the chance. It was what drove me to your service, my lord – I needed to redeem myself. If this visitor has the traitor's sword, then I can only presume that he is finally dead," the bodyguard replied.

"Well... I don't know if he's dead, but, uh, I-I did... um... cave his skull in with a large rock," Finn admitted.

"Then he may as well be dead," the bodyguard said. "Even if he survived, the odds of him being the man I knew are slim."

"We suspect he may have been under Lord Noboru's employ. He has been 'acquiring' criminals for some time, and now a brigade of them happen to lay waste to one of the border villages? It's too much of a coincidence," Hebi interjected.

"I agree. I'll have to send him a response," Shiba declared. Then, he looked to Finn: "You have done well, young man, even having just stumbled into things as you did. I'll not see your actions unrewarded. If you'll oblige me, I would have you stay for a few days, so that I might have some armor fashioned for your travels. Nothing like what my guards wear – that is their privilege, you understand. but if it keeps you alive in that forest, then it is worth the same."

"After what I just went through, I'm not about to turn down a better chance of survival," Finn replied.

"It pleases me to hear this," Shiba said. Then, with a wave of his hand, he summoned a messenger who had been standing in the shadows to his side. "Send word to Kibura. He is to provide our guest with armor fit for travel. Once you have done that, inform the staff to make ready a room for the boy until the armor is completed." With another wave, the messenger was sent off on his errand.

Shiba then turned his attention to Hebi: "In the meantime, you are to return to the village and rejoin your squadron. I will accept nothing less than the full report of a thorough investigation. If I act against Noboru, I want it to be in confidence that such retaliation is truly justified."

"At once, my lord," Hebi replied. He bowed respectfully, then stood and took his leave through the door behind Finn.

"Iehisa? I would have you escort our guest. It would appear that you two have much to discuss," Shiba said to his bodyguard.

"I agree, my lord," Iehisa replied.

For some reason, Finn found himself sweating more at the idea of justifying himself to a full-fledged samurai than he had when doing so before Hebi and his squad. He knew that he had no reason to fear, as he had just proven his innocence before their master, but the knowledge that the man whom he had likely rendered comatose was once a friend of his assigned escort suddenly began to weigh on him more than it had mere moments ago.

* * *

 _I spent so much time researching how armor worked, just for that last bit of the chapter, that I gave myself a migraine and had to go lie down. And then I wound up reworking it to what it ended up being, so all that research was completely wasted. And my roommate wanted to try and tell me that writing wasn't stressful. I don't think I believe you, madam._

 _"_ _Hebi" means "Snake" in Japanese. And he's a spy. I accidentally made Metal Gear Muromachi. "Lord Liquid! The Foxhound shinobi has infiltrated the manor!" "Stay your blade, Ocelot – he's mine."_

 _Quick, somebody who isn't me, write that shit!_

 _I didn't mean for this whole chapter to just be a bunch of dudes talking, but sadly, thanks to how I divvied up the three-way split, Finn has the most boring sections, Ashitaka is just pure plot regurgitation, and Noah... well, you'll see. Although, in fairness, given that I also accidentally made him the designated badass know-it-all of the protagonists, he kind of needed the dumbing down. I also didn't mean for there to be so many title drops of this chapter, but hey, here we are._

 _Shikoku is one of Japan's southern islands, near Kyushu. Since it's difficult to tell what cities existed during the Muromachi period, and still persist to this day, it was easier to just say that the swordsmith hailed "from Shikoku." It's within reason that he might have elected not to go into deeper detail than that when Shiba's bodyguard, then a samurai loyal to the Shogunate, first met the man, or perhaps enough time went by that it was simply all he remembered. And, you know, he's a swordsmith. Those guys had to have been pretty damn busy back in those days, I would think._

 _A kotatsu, for anybody who has never seen an anime in their lives, is a short table, sometimes with a blanket underneath it. You kneel on cushions in front of it, and if you should find yourself so inclined, those cushions can later be used as a pillow, and that handy-dandy blanket can keep you all snuggly and warm, thereby allowing you to sleep under the kotatsu. Hence why you kneel on the cushions - I sure wouldn't want to smell my own ass when I'm trying to sleep, am I right?_

 _Modern kotatsu can be heated, to add to the comfort. I suspect this was not quite the case back in the Muromachi period, what with fire being the only heating source, and... you know... fire, lacquered wood, fluffy cushions and blankets are not good friends. Or they're very good friends, depending on how you choose to see it._

 _As for why Shiba appears to have his own personal army of samurai and ninja... well, that's just one of the many privileges nobility enjoyed back in those days. A samurai who wasn't under orders from the Shogunate typically sought work under noble lords, and shinobi, as previously established, were often samurai, themselves, but trained as stealth agents, so it's not out of the realm of reason that Shiba might have a mix of both under his employ. He has to protect his domain somehow, right?_


End file.
